Several studies have accused Roblox, a popular gaming platform geared at preteens, of failing to implement strong kid safety procedures, exposing them to dangers such as grooming, explicit content, and violent or abusive stuff.
In a significant modification to its safety policy, Roblox intends to keep users under the age of 13 away from unrated content. It will also block access to social hangouts and experiences that feature free-form 2D user creation, both of which offer hazards because they include options for interacting with other players who may use improper language, as well as interactive experiences in which users can draw or write within the game.
On Wednesday, the platform said in a statement to creators that children under the age of 12 will no longer be able to “play, search, and discover unrated experiences.” Roblox also requires creators to complete a questionnaire if they want their experience to be offered to children under 13. Creators must guarantee that their experience satisfies either “All Ages” or “9+” requirements, which can still feature “mild violence, heavy unrealistic blood, and/or mild crude humor,” according to its support website. Children under the age of 13 are not permitted to access gambling content.
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Roblox said it will implement these restrictions beginning next year. Creators must complete the form by December 3. The questionnaire can be found on the Creator Hub under the Creations tab. Then select “Select an Experience” and “Audience.”
Furthermore, individuals under the age of 13 are barred from participating in social hangouts, which is most likely in reaction to ongoing worries about safety in these experiences, which have been criticized for having substantial monitoring issues. One forum creator said, “Kinda sad, but with the amount of … issues in some of these [social hangout] games, I totally understand this.”
Younger people are also unable to access experiences that require free-form 2D user creation, which allows players to copy other users’ designs without going through Roblox moderation. This will begin to take effect on November 18.
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Roblox also included experiences appropriate for this age group. These include role-playing experiences in which users can assume various positions, such as a teacher, police officer, or racing car driver, or interact with objects. Experiences with 3D elements approved by Roblox moderation are also permitted, allowing young children to continue building houses with blocks, designing costumes, and making short videos.
The latest safety initiatives follow the platform’s introduction of improvements requiring users under the age of 13 to obtain parental permission to access certain chat capabilities. Players under the age of nine require parental permission to participate in experiences labeled as moderate content.
Roblox is also now testing an age-verification function that requires users above the age of 13 to provide a government-issued photo ID.
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