Roblox will deny children access to certain types of experiences after reports that the platform enabled child abuse.
A new measure will prevent children under 13 from experiencing “certain types of interactive features,” Roblox says in a post on its developer forum. These include “social hangouts,” where the primary purpose is to communicate with others via text or voice chat, and “freeform 2D user creation experiences,” where players can draw on a blackboard or whiteboard, for example. This change will come into effect on November 18th.
Another change prevents children under 13 from playing, searching for, or discovering unrated experiences. This change will come into effect after December 3rd. If a Creator wishes to grant access to their game to a player under the age of 13, they must complete a questionnaire and ensure that all information about their experience meets Roblox's requirements for the current All Ages or 9 plus age ratings. Roblox says it will begin enforcing these requirements “next year.”
There have been several recent stories about Roblox's alleged poor child protection, including a Bloomberg Article titled “Roblox’s Pedophile Problem.” In October, the company announced changes for preschool users and a new account type that parents can use to manage their children on Roblox.