Roblox Corp introduced new rules preventing kids under 13 from accessing online games intended just for socialising and from making some kinds of virtual content, like drawing on digital chalkboards, the latest in a series of child-safety changes at the company.
Roblox games that replicate hangout spaces, like clubs or discussion forums, will be off-limits for preteens, the company said Wednesday. Roblox is also restricting their access to games that aren’t rated for content. One of its more popular video-game categories, which involve role-playing as police officers or race-car drivers, will remain accessible.
The changes come after criticism of the company’s child safety record. The new rules go into effect on Nov 18, the company said in an online post.
Roblox sent an email to parents in October explaining that users under the age of 13 will need parental permission to access certain Roblox chat features. Kids under nine will also need permission to play games with moderate violence or crude humor, according to the email.
“We’re constantly strengthening our safety systems and policies,” the company said in an email Wednesday. “It’s important to know that at Roblox, we’re constantly innovating safety and we’ll never stop.”
Roblox’s child protection policies have come under fire following a July Bloomberg Businessweek investigation. Since 2018, US police have arrested more than two dozen people accused of abusing or abducting victims they met or groomed on Roblox. Current and former Roblox employees speaking with Businessweek said monitoring the company’s nearly 90 million daily users is a difficult task. Roughly 40% those users are under 13.
Shortly after the Businessweek investigation, short seller Hindenburg Research published a report alleging Roblox doesn’t do enough to stop child predators from accessing the platform. The company said it “totally rejected” the claims made in the Hindenburg report. – Bloomberg
