Roblox Limits Children’s Interactions in Social Spaces

Roblox stands tall as a titan among gaming platforms globally, yet it frequently finds itself under the microscope for allegedly not doing enough to shield its young users from potential predators. Just last summer, concerns over child exploitation led to Roblox being banned in Turkey. In response to these mounting concerns, The Roblox Corporation has decided to introduce tighter controls aimed specifically at protecting younger players from illegal exploitation.

According to an announcement on the official Roblox developer’s forum, kids under 13 will soon find their access restricted to experiences without proper ratings. Moreover, the ability to participate in social hangouts and more open-ended, user-generated content will be reserved for those aged 13 and above.

But, will these steps quiet the critics and address the pressing issue of children being targeted by predators on the platform? Success hinges on the effectiveness of these new strategies. Earlier this year, a Bloomberg article revealed that The Roblox Corporation reported over 13,000 cases of child exploitation to law enforcement agencies in 2023. Moreover, about two dozen individuals were arrested after exploiting children they contacted through Roblox. The company contended that these figures need to be viewed considering the massive size of its user base and highlighted its ongoing collaboration with authorities to combat unlawful activities.

Starting December 3, these new restrictions for users under 13 will be rolled out. Currently, the responsibility for content ratings lies with the users, but Roblox plans to weave this rating system into the content publishing process down the road.