SAN MATEO, USA – Roblox, the digital gaming platform popular among children and tweens, has unveiled a series of significant updates to its parental controls, including new restrictions on messaging for users under 13.
Announced Monday, November 18, 2024, the measures aim to enhance safety and provide parents with greater oversight of their children’s activities on the platform.
Among the key updates, children under 13 will no longer be able to send direct messages to other users by default.
This feature can only be enabled if a parent or guardian explicitly allows it. Instead, younger users will have access to “broadcast-only” messages within games.
“We are always working to make chat incredibly safe and are exploring new ways for users of all ages to communicate and interact safely on Roblox,” Matt Kaufman, the company’s chief safety officer, said in a blog post accompanying the announcement.
Expanded Parental Oversight
The changes include a robust set of tools for parents, who can now monitor their child’s activity remotely without requiring access to the child’s account or device.
The new features allow parents to:
- View how much time their child spends on Roblox.
- Monitor their child’s friends list.
- Set daily screen time limits that cannot be exceeded.
- Establish spending limits for in-game purchases.
These features are available starting Monday, with additional updates planned for rollout in 2024.
Content Labelling and Age Restrictions
To address concerns over age-appropriate content, Roblox is introducing a new system of content labels.
The four categories—“minimal,” “mild,” “moderate,” and “restricted”—are designed to help parents determine what is suitable for their children.
Users younger than 9 will only have access to “minimal” and “mild” content by default, with parental approval required to unlock “moderate” content.
The platform will also notify parents when a child approaches a milestone that could alter their age-based settings.
“We are fundamentally a platform for play, which differs from other places on the internet, where the focus is on browsing or consuming content,” Kaufman wrote.
“Since the day we launched, we’ve had a growing population of younger users, and we want to help keep them safe on Roblox. We take safety extremely seriously.”
Challenges Amid Rising Popularity
Roblox, which boasted 68.4 million average daily users in 2023, has faced scrutiny over safety concerns as its popularity has surged.
Last month, a Hindenburg Research report described the platform as an “X-rated pedophile hellscape” and accused it of exposing children to grooming, explicit content, and abusive speech.
Roblox strongly denied the claims, calling the report misleading and highlighting its extensive investment in trust and safety measures.
High-Profile Incident Highlights Risks
The updates come in the wake of a troubling incident in which a 10-year-old girl, reportedly acting on instructions received through Roblox from a 36-year-old woman, injured a 2-month-old boy by dropping him onto a tiled floor.
The case drew widespread attention to the platform’s vulnerabilities and underscored the need for enhanced safety measures.
Balancing Play and Safety
Roblox’s focus on user-generated games and real-time interaction has made it a favourite among younger audiences but also poses unique challenges for content moderation and safety.
The new controls are part of the company’s ongoing efforts to address these concerns while maintaining its appeal as a creative platform.
With these changes, Roblox aims to reassure parents and strengthen its reputation as a safe and engaging space for children to play and learn.
