By Jill Murphy, Common Sense Media 

Edition #18 | June 26, 2026

It's Full-On Summer Now

The first sign of summer isn't always the last day of school. Sometimes it's Roblox before lunch, a group chat that suddenly has way more daytime energy, or "can we watch something?" showing up while your morning coffee is still hot.

Summer also has a way of turning "a little gaming" into a full day's plan. That makes now a good time to look at some settings again.

ICYMI: A Quick Roblox Setting Check

If it's been a minute since you opened your kid's Roblox parental controls, congrats, you're normal.

Summer is a different Roblox season. A kid who loved it in March probably isn't using it less in July. That extra time can mean more chats, friend requests, and chances to tap through purchase prompts without thinking much about it.

Roblox's Family Center has gotten more useful in the past year, and the settings aren't complicated once you know where to look. The short version: Account restrictions, chat filters, spending limits, and contact settings are all adjustable.

Quick reminder: Age checks are still imperfect. Kids can work around restrictions, and some will try and succeed. But checking the settings gives you a chance to set expectations out loud: what's OK, what's off-limits, and what they should do if something starts to feel weird.

And "weird" is worth spelling out. That might mean someone keeps asking to move the chat somewhere else, pushes for personal details, gets intense about money or items, or makes your kid feel like they can't leave the game without causing a problem.

Tell them they can come to you with that stuff without losing Roblox on sight.

Worth reading: 

→ Parents' Ultimate Guide to Roblox

Let the Games Begin

Co-playing—that is, participating in games with your kid—sounds wholesome in a way that makes people ignore how practical it is. But the reality is if you sit next to your kid for 30 minutes, you'll learn more than you would in a week of checking their phone, like how players talk, where your kid lights up, and where things get messy.

You do not need to be a gamer. You can be bad. In fact, that may be the easiest way in. Let them explain a game that lets you play cooperatively and isn't too fast-paced, like Minecraft, Mario Kart, or Stardew Valley, while you try to keep up.

No console? Netflix has a library of games and playable experiences inside the app. Screens not the move? A good board game still works. Ticket to Ride, Codenames, Wavelength, Sushi Go—the options for families with mixed ages have never been better. The side benefit: Everyone's looking at each other.

Worth checking out: 

→ '80s-Style Games with an Upgrade to Get You Started

The Past Pairs Well with Popcorn

Forrest Gump. Malcolm X. RBG. These aren't films you rush through before an 8:30 bedtime. They're the ones that prompt questions mid-scene: Wait, who was that? Did that actually happen? Why did they do it that way?

Summer is the natural season for the longer watch: the big historical epic, the two- or three-part story, or the one you keep meaning to watch but never start because it's somehow three hours long (looking at you, Oppenheimer).

It also reframes the "can we watch something?" question in a way that feels good. So in that spirit, here's a list to get you started in American history, with a solid range by age group and a few deeper cuts worth tracking down.

That's it for this week. Go watch something great!

— Jill

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