Roblox Corp., a gaming platform popular among preteens, is implementing important safety reforms. These include requiring parental permission to access chat features and games and a new account type that helps parents monitor their children’s Roblox activity.
The changes come in response to increased criticism and recent arrests involving alleged child abusers who used Roblox to target young users.
Among the key measures, Roblox will require parental permission for children under 13 to access specific chat features, according to an email sent to parents, reports Bloomberg. Additionally, users under nine will now need parental approval to access games containing moderate violence or crude humour.
As part of the overhaul, Roblox will also introduce a new account type allowing parents to monitor their children’s online activity and interactions. This tool is intended to provide more transparency and control to families concerned about their children’s digital safety.
A Roblox spokesperson described the updates as part of the company’s “commitment to making the platform one of the safest online environments for our users, particularly the youngest ones.” Despite these assurances, Roblox has not yet released further details about the forthcoming reforms scheduled to take effect next month.
In July 2024, Roblox announced that it would transition to labelling games based on content rather than age to give parents more insights into what their children are accessing.
Roblox’s child safety policies have been under scrutiny for quite some time. Recent investigations by Bloomberg and Hindenberg revealed that the platform does not protect children and preteens.
Unlike some of its competitors, Roblox has long allowed children of any age to create accounts and interact with strangers online. However, this policy has been heavily criticised by child safety advocates, who argue that the ease with which young users can chat with unknown individuals poses significant risks. In response, Roblox has recently stopped allowing children under five to create accounts.
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