TL;DR
Yes, Roblox is a legitimate gateway to software engineering, but it comes with a side of digital chaos. If your child is moving from playing games to wanting to build them, they’ll be using Roblox Studio and a real coding language called Luau. It’s high-motivation because they can play their creations with friends instantly, but parents need to watch out for the platform’s "casino-lite" monetization and the potential for "brain rot" distractions.
Quick Links for the Tech-Curious Parent:
When we talk about "coding in Roblox," we aren't talking about the app your kid uses to play Brookhaven or Adopt Me. We’re talking about Roblox Studio, a separate, free professional-grade development environment that only runs on Windows or Mac.
Inside Studio, kids aren't just dragging and dropping blocks (though there is some of that for building the world). To make things happen—like making a lava floor kill a player or creating a shop system—they have to write scripts in Luau, a version of the Lua programming language. Lua is a "real" language used in the actual tech industry (it powers parts of World of Warcraft and Adobe Photoshop).
Learn more about the difference between playing Roblox and building in Roblox Studio
The secret sauce of Roblox isn't the graphics—which, let's be honest, often look like a fever dream from 2005. It’s the social flex.
In traditional coding classes, a kid might spend three weeks making a calculator in Python. Cool, but they can't exactly show that off at the lunch table. In Roblox, a kid can spend an afternoon making a "difficulty chart obby" (obstacle course), hit "Publish," and send a link to five friends. Within seconds, they are all in the game together.
That instant feedback loop is the ultimate motivator. It turns coding from a "school subject" into a way to gain social capital. Whether they are making a game about "Ohio memes" or a complex simulator, they are learning the fundamental logic of if/then statements, variables, and loops because they want their game to be "fire," not because they want an A.
Let’s get into the no-BS review of using Roblox as a teaching tool.
The Good: High Ceiling, Real Skills
Unlike Scratch, which is amazing but has a definite "ceiling," Roblox Studio is surprisingly deep. Kids learn:
- 3D Modeling: Navigating X, Y, and Z axes.
- Physics: Understanding how gravity, friction, and velocity work in a digital space.
- UI/UX Design: Creating menus and buttons that other people actually have to use.
- Digital Entrepreneurship: Learning how to monetize (for better or worse) through "game passes."
The Bad: The Distraction Factor
The biggest hurdle isn't the difficulty of the code; it’s the fact that the "Play" button is right next to the "Edit" button. Many kids start with the intention of coding and end up just playing Skibidi Toilet clones for three hours. It requires a level of discipline that many 10-year-olds simply haven't developed yet.
The Ugly: The Monetization Trap
Roblox is built on Robux. When kids start "programming" for real, they often get obsessed with making money. This can lead to them designing predatory "pay-to-win" mechanics in their games. It’s a great time for a conversation about ethical design, but it can also turn a fun hobby into a stressful "hustle" that feels more like a job than a learning experience.
Read our guide on how Robux actually works and the "DevEx" system
If you're trying to figure out where to start, here's the breakdown:
- Scratch (Ages 7-10): The gold standard for beginners. It uses "block-based" coding (like digital LEGOs). No typing required, no syntax errors to cry over. It’s the best way to learn "how a computer thinks" without the frustration of a real language.
- Minecraft (Ages 8-12): Specifically Minecraft Education or using "Command Blocks" in the Java edition. It’s a middle ground. It feels more like a game than a dev tool, but it teaches great logic.
- Roblox Studio (Ages 10+): This is the "pro" move. If your kid is bored of Scratch and wants to make "real" games that look like the ones they play, this is the next step.
Every kid is different, but here is the general consensus from our community data on when to dive in:
Ages 7-9: The "Wait and See" Phase
At this age, Roblox Studio is usually too frustrating. The interface is cluttered and the scripting is text-heavy. Stick to Scratch or Code.org. If they really want to be in Roblox, let them experiment with the "Toolbox" (pre-made items) in Studio without worrying about the code yet.
Ages 10-13: The Sweet Spot
This is when the logic center of the brain starts to handle text-based coding. This is the prime time to introduce YouTube tutorials (look for creators like AlvinBlox) to help them build their first "Obby."
Ages 14+: The "Professional" Pivot
If they’ve been doing Roblox for a few years, they might be ready to move to Unity (which uses C#) or Unreal Engine. These are the tools used to make "Triple-A" games like Fortnite or Call of Duty.
Check out our guide on the best coding pathways for every age
When your child moves from "Player" to "Creator," their safety profile changes.
- Public Forums: To learn coding, kids often go to the Roblox Developer Forum or Discord. These are adult-adjacent spaces. They are generally helpful, but they are not "for kids" and are largely unmoderated for child safety.
- Copyright Issues: Kids love to put Mario or SpongeBob in their games. Roblox is getting stricter about DMCA takedowns. It’s a good lesson in copyright, but it can be heartbreaking for a kid to have their project deleted because they used a copyrighted song.
- Collaborators: "Hey, want to build a game together?" is the most common way kids get scammed out of their items or account access. Remind them: Never give "Edit" access to someone you don't know in real life.
If you want to support this journey without being the "tech police," stop asking "How long have you been on that screen?" and start asking:
- "What's the 'Loop' of your game?" (What does the player do over and over?)
- "Show me a script you're proud of." (Even if you don't understand it, let them explain what the lines of code do. This is called "Rubber Duck Debugging" and it's a real thing devs do!)
- "How are you handling the UI?" (Ask why they put the buttons where they are.)
By treating it like a craft—like woodworking or painting—you validate the effort they are putting into the "productive" side of the screen time.
Is Roblox a good starting point for coding? Yes, absolutely. It’s one of the few places where a kid can go from an idea to a multiplayer reality in a single afternoon.
However, it is not a "set it and forget it" educational tool. It is a messy, commercial, loud, and sometimes toxic ecosystem. If you go in with your eyes open—knowing that they’ll need help navigating the social pressures and the monetization traps—the actual coding skills they gain are 100% real and highly transferable.
Ask our chatbot for a 4-week "Roblox Creator" lesson plan you can do with your kid
Next Steps:
- Download Roblox Studio on a laptop (it won't work on an iPad!).
- Find a "Starter Obby" tutorial on YouTube.
- Set a "Creator vs. Player" timer. For every 30 minutes they spend coding in Studio, they get 30 minutes of "pure play" time. This helps fight the "brain rot" and keeps them focused on the skill-building.