New child safety protocols have come to Roblox, and parents now have greater insight into what their kids are doing on the creation platform.
As part of the new reforms, parents can access parental control features from their own devices, rather than needing their child's to do it. They can now link their accounts to their child's, which lets them see their child's friends list and playtime and establish limits on screentime, in-game content, and how much real-world money is spent on Roblox.
These features were first reported by Bloomberg in October, and have been deemed "a considerable leap forward" by Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) CEO Stephen Balkam. "By offering robust tools for non-intrusive monitoring and privacy, Roblox is providing families with the confidence they need to foster a secure and enriching online environment," he said in a statement.
Roblox Corp.'s new safety rules come after numerous reports concerning the lack of real protections for its younger players. Part of how it's addressing those concerns is by requiring content creators to answer a questionnaire that will provide age-appropriate summaries and images for their experiences targeted toward players aged 13 and under.
In addition, Roblox Corp. will now only permit players aged 13 and younger to publicly broadcast messages within a Roblox game or experience. By default, players within that age bracket will no longer able to directly message others, although that setting can be tweaked by parents.
Certain experiences will also be age-gated: players aged 9 or under will only be able to access "Minimal" or "Mild"-rated content by default. Unlocking "Moderate" content will require parental permission.
Michelle Lipkin, executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) said the new options and parental controls address "the need to improve safety features for kids and empower parents with the tools they need to help their kids navigate the complex media ecosystem."
You May Also Like
