Roblox Corp. has finally detailed its new safety measures meant to protect its predominantly young playerbase.
These new policies are intended to address concerns (and previous high-profile stories) about Roblox's lack of proper protection for its child and teen players, which has resulted in at least two lawsuits. Roblox Corp. often denied or dismissed these reports at the time of their publication, and would insist keeping its players safe was a top priority amongst its staff.
The biggest change concerns visibility for user-made creations. For those aimed at players age 13 and younger, creators will be required by December 3 to complete a questionnaire for each individual experience. All information on the page (like the description and title) will have to be "appropriate for all users," and any creation without a finished form will be "unplayable, unsearcable, and undiscoverable" by 13 and under players, but still accessible with a direct link.
In its blog, the company said this will "ensure parents and users have more clarity into the types of content available on Roblox and will help them make more informed choices about what they want to play."
Roblox Corp.'s blog also confirmed that as of next Monday, November 18, social hangouts and free-form 2D creations (which lets players replicate their written or drawn 2D creations without going through the moderation process) will only be available to players over 13 years old to "address user behavior that can potentially pose a risk to our youngest users."
In late October, Bloomberg reported Roblox Corp. was aiming to enact new child protection methods, such as 13 and younger players requiring parent permission to access Roblox's in-game social features. During its recent earnings call, the company reaffirmed it would "invest in technology, policies, and partnerships to pursue the highest standards of trust and safety on our platform."
Going forward, the developer said it "envisions the questionnaire becoming more closely integrated into the publishing process."
More information on Roblox's new safety measures can be read here.
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