Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Roblox, a popular gaming platform for pre-teens, has faced criticism for years over alleged gaps in safety protocols. In response, Roblox has announced a significant update on age restrictions to its safety policies.
This update aimed at shielding children under the age of 13 from unmoderated experiences on the platform following concerns over safety protocols gaps that could leave young users vulnerable to risks like grooming, explicit content, and violent or abusive material.
Citing a report from TechCrunch, Roblox plans to restrict access for users under 13 to unrated content, as well as social hangout spaces and experiences featuring user-generated 2D creations. These environments, often allowing free-form chat and drawing tools, have been flagged for potentially exposing young users to inappropriate language and unfiltered content.
In a message to creators on Wednesday, Roblox confirmed that starting next year, users aged 12 and under will, by default, be restricted from “playing, searching, or discovering unrated experiences.” To ensure compliance, creators are now required to complete a questionnaire if they wish to make their content accessible to this younger audience. The experiences must adhere to Roblox’s “All Ages” or “9+” rating guidelines, which permit only mild violence, non-realistic blood, or light crude humor. Notably, gambling content remains strictly prohibited for users under 13.
The platform has set a December 3 deadline for creators to submit these questionnaires, which are accessible through the Creator Hub under the “Creations” tab. Failure to comply will prevent their content from being available to younger players.
Additionally, Roblox is barring users under 13 from social hangouts—virtual spaces that have faced ongoing criticism over lax moderation. One creator, commenting on the change in a community forum, remarked, “It’s kind of sad, but given the… issues in some of these [social hangout] games, I completely understand this move.” Younger users will also lose access to experiences featuring user-generated 2D content, which have been exploited to mimic unmoderated images. This restriction will take effect on November 18.
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Despite these new age restrictions, Roblox has clarified that young users will still have access to approved role-playing experiences where they can take on various characters like teachers, police officers, or race car drivers. Interactive activities involving pre-approved 3D assets, such as building houses, designing clothes, and creating short videos, will remain available.
These latest safety initiatives come after Roblox introduced changes requiring users under 13 to obtain parental consent for accessing certain chat features. Players under the age of 9 now also need parental approval to engage with content marked with moderate ratings.
Roblox is further exploring age verification tools for users over 13, which would require a government-issued photo ID. These efforts underscore Roblox’s commitment to bolstering the safety and security of its youngest users amid rising concerns over online child protection.
(Raidi/Agung)
