Roblox has announced new child safety measures, including messaging restrictions for users under 13. Children in this age group can only send direct messages if a verified parent or guardian grants permission.
Parents will have enhanced oversight of their child’s account, enabling them to view the friends list, monitor activity, and set daily playtime limits.
New parental controls are live on Roblox. You can set screen time and spending limits, manage your child’s communication settings, and control the type of content your child can access. Learn more: https://t.co/kY5QcZqyii pic.twitter.com/xtBtn1XJW5
— Roblox (@Roblox) November 18, 2024Ofcom has recognized Roblox as the UK’s most popular gaming platform among eight——to 12-year-olds. However, the company has been pressured to improve safety for its younger users.
The platform will begin implementing these changes on Monday, aiming for full implementation by March 2025.
With these updates, children can still engage in public conversations that are visible to all players. However, private messaging will necessitate parental consent.
Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman noted that 88 million people play Roblox daily. He emphasized that over 10% of the company’s workforce, consisting of thousands of employees, focuses on safety features.
“As our platform has grown, so needs our safety approaches to evolve,” Kaufman stated.
Roblox is also enhancing the tools available to parents for monitoring and managing their children’s online activities.
To use these parental controls, parents or guardians must verify their identity with a government-issued ID or credit card linked to an account.
Kaufman addressed the challenges of verifying identities, a common issue across tech platforms, and stressed the importance of accurately entering a child’s age during account setup.
“We aim to safeguard all users, regardless of age,” he explained.
“We encourage parents to participate in their children’s account creation actively, ensuring the use of their true age,” Kaufman added.
