Next month, Roblox is set to introduce a series of new safety measures aimed specifically at child accounts, following a troubling report that highlighted issues of child and sexual exploitation on the platform.
In an email to parents, as reported by IGN, Roblox outlined the upcoming changes. One notable feature will allow parents to link their accounts with their child’s, giving them access to monitor their child’s activity and friend list while also enabling them to update parental controls.
Previously, parental privileges included the option to lock a child’s account with a PIN, which was meant to keep children from changing their settings. With the new system, there will be no more PINs; instead, parents will need to create their own accounts. This separation should prevent minors from altering important settings on their own.
Roblox is also planning modifications to the default account settings for younger users. For those under 13, parental consent will be required to access specific chat functions. Children younger than 9 will need approval to engage with content rated “Moderate” or higher. These changes appear to be a response to the platform’s new Party feature, which allows users in friend groups to communicate via text or voice, but is restricted to users aged 13 and above.
“From the very beginning, Roblox has prioritized safety features and tools in our product design. We continuously seek new ways to enhance parental controls to better assist parents,” stated the email.
A recent analysis by Hindenburg Research claimed that Roblox has misrepresented its daily active user statistics by not factoring in bots or duplicate accounts, while also highlighting concerns over child safety on the platform. The report characterized the environment as dangerously unsafe for minors.
“Roblox is sacrificing child safety to report growth figures to investors,” the report stated. “In addition to inflated user metrics, our in-game analysis revealed a troubling environment, exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content, and harmful speech.”
Roblox has denied these allegations, describing the report as “misleading” and emphasizing its seriousness in addressing inappropriate content and behavior on the platform. This comes on the heels of other reports from sources like Bloomberg, which spoke with Roblox employees who expressed concerns about child safety, as well as ongoing lawsuits regarding the issue.
