Roblox Reveals Latest Step to Protect Kids. Will It Work?

Published: November 8, 2024

Roblox Reveals Latest Step to Protect Kids. Will It Work?

By Movieguide® Contributor

Roblox is stepping up its child safety measures by preventing users under the age of 13 from accessing content that could expose them to bad actors.

The change will make it so young users can no longer access content with specific interactive features including text or voice chat or “freeform 2D user creation” that allows for drawing on things like chalkboards. This change will go into effect on Nov. 18.

Starting on Dec. 3, users under the age of 13 will also no longer be allowed to access unrated content. Instead, they will only be able to access experiences with an “all ages” or a “9 plus” rating.

“We’re constantly strengthening our safety systems and policies — we shipped over 30 improvements this year and we have more to come,” Roblox spokesperson Juliet Chaitin-Lefcourt told The Verge. “As a company that’s transparent with our community of developers, we needed to share key information about the upcoming changes prior to launch. The DevForum has all the information on the upcoming changes that we’re sharing at this time. It’s important to know that at Roblox, we’re constantly innovating Safety and we’ll never STOP.”

This update comes after Roblox overhauled its parental controls at the end of October, giving parents more options when deciding the content they will and will not allow their children to view. The company also added a stronger rating system earlier this year to further protect young viewers from disturbing content.

While these changes are encouraging, Roblox has faced incessant criticism in recent years for the abhorrent content children have access to. Earlier this year, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation identified over 100,000 users “actively trading child sexual abuse material and soliciting sexual acts from minors.” The group further found thousands of sexual abuse-themed games that children could freely access.

Hopefully, these changes will make a difference, but parents should continue to monitor their kids if they allow them on the site.