Roblox, a platform beloved by millions of players, especially children, is rolling out significant updates to its safety systems and parental controls. These changes aim to offer parents and caregivers more control over their children’s online experience, while also reinforcing built-in protections for younger users. The updates, developed with input from safety experts and parents, focus on providing easier-to-use tools and stricter safeguards for users under age 13.
Streamlining Parental Controls and Remote Management
One of the most notable updates is the introduction of remote management for parental controls. In the past, parents had to adjust settings directly from their child’s device, but now they can manage their child’s Roblox experience from their own device. After verifying their identity with a credit card or ID, parents can link their accounts to their child’s and monitor their activity remotely. This new functionality allows for easier oversight, even when parents and children are not together.
Alongside this, parents can also track and manage their child’s screen time more efficiently. The new Parental Controls dashboard provides detailed insights, such as the average screen time over the past week, and allows parents to set daily usage limits. Once a child reaches their screen time limit, they are locked out of the platform for the rest of the day, encouraging healthier usage habits.
Enhanced Communication Restrictions for Users Under 13
As part of their ongoing commitment to safety, Roblox has also introduced updates to how children under age 13 can communicate with others. Communication is a core aspect of the Roblox experience, but these new changes aim to balance interaction with safety.
Moving forward, users under age 13 will no longer be able to send direct messages to others outside of in-game experiences. Additionally, these younger users will be limited to sending public broadcast messages within games, rather than private chats. While these restrictions are automatically applied, parents can still modify them via the Parental Controls dashboard. This update is intended to reduce the risk of inappropriate interactions while still allowing children to enjoy social aspects of the platform.
Content Labels and Maturity Settings
Roblox is also revising its content labeling system to better align with the diverse expectations of families. Instead of categorizing experiences based solely on age, Roblox will now label them according to the type of content they contain. This change allows parents to make more informed decisions about the experiences their children engage with, based on content type rather than age alone.
For younger users (under age 9), content will be limited to “Minimal” or “Mild” experiences by default. Access to more mature content will require explicit parental consent. Furthermore, Roblox is introducing age-gating for specific experiences that allow socializing with non-friends or free-form writing and drawing. These measures ensure that children are not exposed to risky behavior or inappropriate content.
Automatic Age-Based Updates and Greater Parental Involvement
As children grow, their built-in account settings will automatically adjust to reflect their new age group, ensuring that the platform remains age-appropriate as they mature. Parents will be notified 30 days in advance of these changes, allowing for discussions about what settings are most appropriate for their child’s current stage.
A Continued Focus on Safety and Expert Collaboration
Roblox’s safety updates are not only the result of internal reviews but also extensive collaboration with child safety organizations and media literacy experts. The company has worked closely with groups like the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) to ensure that these updates are both effective and in line with best practices for online child safety.
These changes reflect Roblox’s ongoing commitment to creating a safer environment for its youngest users. While no system is foolproof, the platform continues to evolve its safety mechanisms to address emerging challenges and provide the safest possible experience for players.
What This Means for Parents and Kids
With these new updates, parents now have more tools at their disposal to manage and monitor their children’s Roblox experience. Whether it’s controlling screen time, limiting communication, or managing content access, these updates aim to provide a safer, more transparent environment for younger users. Roblox’s continued collaboration with safety experts underscores its commitment to protecting children while allowing them to enjoy the platform’s expansive world of games and social interactions.
Parents looking for more information on how to set up these controls and make the most of these new features can find detailed guides on Roblox’s support pages. With these latest updates, Roblox is not only offering exciting new ways to engage with the platform but also prioritizing the safety and well-being of its youngest players.