Roblox to Implement Changes for Preteen Users Following Criticism of Its Child Protection Measures.
Children will need to obtain their parents' consent in order to participate in full conversations and access certain experiences.
Roblox is implementing significant changes that will restrict access for preteens and provide parents with greater control over their children's activities on the platform. This decision comes after various criticisms regarding the company's inability to protect minors during their use. Recent reports have highlighted serious issues, such as a report concerning predators on the platform, which led Turkey to block access to Roblox, citing the need to protect children.
With these adjustments, users under 13 will be required to obtain parental permission to access certain chat features. Additionally, those under 9 will need parental authorization to play experiences labeled as “moderate,” which may include moderate violence or suggestive humor. Roblox also announced it will transition from its "experience guidelines" system to a new content labeling system, which will be implemented this fall.
Another new feature is the introduction of parent accounts, allowing adults to manage their children's experience on the platform. By linking their accounts, parents will be able to update parental controls and review information about their children's use of Roblox, including daily screen time and their in-game friendships. However, these new parent accounts will not allow for setting a PIN to make changes or implement account restrictions that block in-game chats or limit access to age-appropriate experiences.
The company has expressed its commitment to safety on the platform, especially for younger users. In its communications, Roblox emphasized that it is working to make its environment one of the safest online options for children. Furthermore, more details about these changes are expected to be provided next month.
The updates will include experience labeling, offering parents more clarity about the content available and allowing them to set limits according to the new content maturity settings. Starting next month, users under 13 will also face additional restrictions related to chat features.
Roblox has emphasized that these changes are part of its effort to integrate safety tools from the initial design of its products and will continue to seek ways to enhance parental controls to be even more useful for parents.
