Roblox to implement enhanced safety measures for users under 13

Roblox, a free online gaming platform boasting approximately 70 million daily users globally, is introducing new safety features specifically for children under 13. This move follows criticism regarding the platform’s protection of its younger user base. While particularly popular with children, some users have reported encountering upsetting and harmful content on the site. Effective December 3, game creators will be required to indicate if their games are suitable for users under 13 years old; any games that fail to do so will be blocked for players aged 12 and younger. Additionally, starting November 18, individuals under 13 will be prohibited from accessing “social hangouts,” which are defined as online spaces where players can communicate via text and voice. Roblox specifies that hangout experiences are games where “the primary theme or purpose” is to allow people to communicate with each other as themselves, rather than engaging in character role-playing. From the same November 18 date, younger users will also be unable to utilize “free-form 2D user creation,” which the company described as games “that allow users to draw or write in 2D and replicate those creations to other users without the completed creation going through Roblox moderation.” This measure is presumed to be aimed at preventing users from creating or sharing offensive images or messages that are challenging to moderate effectively. In a post on the Roblox developer website, the company stated, “We recognize the deadline is soon, but we greatly appreciate your cooperation in helping us ensure Roblox is a safe and civil place for users of all ages to come together.” According to the media regulator Ofcom, Roblox is the most popular game in the UK for children aged 8 to 12. However, it has faced criticism concerning its safeguards for younger users, with one young person telling the BBC in May that he had been approached on Roblox and asked for sexual images. At that time, Ofcom, the regulator for online safety, instructed tech firms to hide “toxic” content from children and published draft codes of practice. Subsequently, further issues arose, leading to Turkey entirely blocking access to Roblox in August. Roblox issued a statement to the BBC, saying, “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 company further added, “We’re constantly strengthening our safety systems and policies — we shipped over 30 improvements this year and we have more to come.” Despite announcing that these changes would begin swiftly, Roblox indicated that the enforcement of these requirements would not commence until 2025.