Bloomberg reports a new series of child safety reforms are coming to Roblox sometime next month. In an email to the outlet, Roblox Corp. said the new measures “are part of [our] commitment to making the platform one of the safest online environments for our users, particularly the youngest users.”
These changes will require users age 13 or younger to have parents’ permission to access certain chat features within the game creation platform. Players age nine and younger will also need permission to play games that contain “moderate violence or crude humor,” in the email’s words.
For parents, there will reportedly be a new account type that will allow them to monitor their child’s friends and online activity. Other details on this account type were not mentioned.
Reports on Roblox safety
Earlier this year, reports surfaced against Roblox Corp. about its years-long allegations of harmful and exploitative effects on its sizable young audience. A Bloomberg report from July claimed staff had become more vocal about their concerns with the game’s lack of proper protection for its players, and potential ideas to address these concerns were reportedly shot down by leadership.
More recently, in early October, research firm Hindenburg published an extensive report that partially detailed Roblox’s alleged child safety problems. In it, the firm alleged how easily accessible sexual content is to young players, including in-game sex games and being solicited for sexual favors or content. In-game chatrooms or player-made games with inappropriate content were also said to have no age restrictions enacted.
Roblox Corp. later individually dismissed both Hindenburg and Bloomberg’s reporting. In the former’s case, it argued the research firm “neglected to accurately report” on the developer’s business, and that “tens of millions of users of all ages have safe and positive experiences on Roblox.”
“We take any content or behavior on the platform that doesn’t abide by its standards extremely seriously,” it said on October 9, “and Roblox has a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent malicious or harmful activity on the platform.”