Roblox, one of the most popular online gaming platforms, has rolled out another set of updates to bolster children’s safety. The enhancements address greater parental control, limited communications, content maturity, and automatic age-based settings.
A significant update introduces ‘remote parental management,’ allowing parents to oversee and adjust their child’s account settings without needing access to their child’s device. Parents can now link their Roblox accounts to their child’s account after verifying their identity via ID or credit card.
Once linked, parents can monitor the child’s screen time, review their friends list, and set daily usage limits directly from the newly revamped Parental Controls Dashboard.
Roblox is also fundamentally changing how users under 13 interact on the platform. Key updates include:
- Restricted direct messaging: Children under 13 will no longer send or receive direct messages outside games after this update.
- Public broadcast-only chats: Within games, communication for users under 13 will be limited to public messages, ensuring transparency in interactions.
These restrictions come with built-in safety filters and moderation, maintaining strict controls across all forms of communication. Parents can modify these settings if they deem it appropriate.
Roblox is shifting from traditional age-based content ratings to a more nuanced system labelled ‘Content Labels.’ This categorisation focuses on the type of content and user behaviour in games, empowering parents to make informed decisions.
By default, children under nine years old can only access ‘Minimal’ or ‘Mild’ content. Parents can expand access to ‘Moderate’ content if deemed appropriate.
Roblox will automatically update the account settings to accommodate growing children as users move up to a different age group. The company will notify the parents in 30 days in advance.
Most of the features are live, and Roblox plans to fully implement this feature by 2025.
Last month, Roblox introduced a feature requiring parental permission to access chat features and games for children under 13. A few weeks ago, Roblox released another set of policy updates limiting Roblox users under the age of 13 from accessing, discovering, or searching for unrated experiences.
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