Roblox to implement changes to protect children under 13
Roblox has announced it will implement changes to its parental controls next month.
As reported by Bloomberg, the changes were laid out in an email sent to parents, including updated content maturity and default settings.
Children under the age of 13 will need parental permission to access “certain chat features.” Users under the age of 9 will need permission to access experiences that include “moderate violence or moderate crude humour.”
A new type of account will also be introduced to let parents monitor what their children access on the platform.
This includes the ability to view and update parental controls from their own device, in addition to receiving usage insights.
“The updates that were shared via email are part of Roblox’s commitment to making the platform one of the safest online environments for our users, particularly the youngest users,” Roblox’s head of product communications Juliet Chaitin-Lefcourt told The Verge.
Roblox has faced criticism on how it protects children on its platform. Earlier this month, a report published by Hindenburg Research described Roblox as “an X-rated paedophile hellscape, exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content and extremely abusive speech.”
The company disputed these claims and said inappropriate content on the platform was taken “extremely seriously.” It also highlighted how it has “invested heavily throughout its history in its Trust & Safety efforts.”
