Roblox, one of the most popular online gaming platforms, is rolling out new safety features aimed at better protecting younger users. These changes come in response to growing concerns about child safety on the platform. Recent reports, including an investigative piece by Bloomberg, have highlighted issues with predators targeting children in the game. Turkey even blocked access to Roblox in August, citing safety concerns, though the platform has since made overtures to restore access, including the promise of opening a local office.
The newly announced features will give parents more control over what their children can access. According to an email sent by Roblox to parents, users under the age of 13 will now need explicit parental permission to use certain chat features. For users younger than nine, parents must approve access to experiences that include content labeled as “moderate,” which may involve mild violence or crude humor. This shift is part of Roblox’s broader effort to replace its “experience guidelines” with a new “content label” system that rates experiences based on the type of content, rather than by age.
Roblox is also introducing parent-linked accounts, allowing parents to closely monitor and manage their child’s gaming activity. With these new accounts, parents will be able to set and update parental controls directly from their devices. Additionally, they will have access to detailed insights into their child’s usage, such as screen time and their list of friends within the game.
However, some older features like the parent PIN, which allowed parents to lock certain settings, will be removed in favor of these more advanced parental tools. Roblox has emphasized that any pre-set restrictions using the parent PIN will remain in effect, though updates will require the new parent-linked account system.
In response to the growing criticism about child safety, Juliet Chaitin-Lefcourt, a representative from Roblox, stated: “The updates we’re implementing are part of our ongoing commitment to create one of the safest online environments, especially for our youngest users. We look forward to sharing more next month.”
These changes come at a critical time for Roblox. In addition to reports accusing the platform of enabling inappropriate behavior, Hindenburg Research published findings that claimed Roblox had failed to protect its youngest users. Despite these controversies, the platform remains hugely popular, especially among children and teenagers.
Roblox has made it clear that it will continue to adapt its safety measures. While the updated content maturity settings and parental controls are key steps, only time will tell if they will be enough to regain trust from concerned parents and authorities.
