Thursday, October 24th 2024

Roblox To Roll Out New Child Safety Rules After Scathing 'Pedophile Hellscape' Report

We previously covered a damning report that levelled some pretty severe allegations at Roblox concerning a mix of child safety and false platform metrics. While nothing seems to have been done about the latter, Roblox looks to be addressing the former, and far more serious, of the allegations. According to a Bloomberg report, Roblox will add child safety measures in November that will give parents more control over what their children can see and interact with in Roblox's various games and communities.

According to Bloomberg, Roblox sent parents of the platform's minor audience an email detailing the new changes coming in November. Seemingly in response to the recent criticism, Roblox is putting more control in the hands of parents. Specifically, children under 13 will need parental approval in order to access certain chat features, although the company declined to clarify on exactly what it means by this. Additionally, children under nine years of age will require parental approval in order to play games known to contain moderate violence or crude humor. For more involved parents, Roblox is also introducing a new account type that will allow parents to supervise their online activities. These new safety measures come after Roblox effectively dismissed the October 9 Hindenburg report's accusations that it wasn't doing enough to protect its minor audience.
Whether these new safety protocols will actually help is yet to be seen, since it's more or less commonly accepted that parental controls are mostly a stop-gap solution that only serve to delay children access to content they should not be seeing. While parents of children active on Roblox will also likely appreciate the additional control over what their children can and can't do on the platform, it should be noted that Roblox hasn't committed to stepping up its chat and in-game moderation, instead placing the onus on the guardians of its minor users, which make up as much as 58% of its user base.
Sources: Bloomberg, Statista, Game Developer
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7 Comments on Roblox To Roll Out New Child Safety Rules After Scathing 'Pedophile Hellscape' Report

#1
DirtyDingusMcgee
The internet has never been a safe place for children. Hell, it is barely safe for grown-ups. I play plenty of Roblox with my family. I've not seen anything that ever worried me, but i keep watching just in case.
Posted on Reply
#2
lexluthermiester
DirtyDingusMcgeeThe internet has never been a safe place for children.
TRUTH! Completely agree. No child should be allowed on the net without direct, active parental supervision.
DirtyDingusMcgeeHell, it is barely safe for grown-ups.
Also true. :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#3
GenericUsername2001
I have kids; my simple rule is that any game or video time is limit (I set a timer) and for the younger children all device time is done either on the living room TV, or laptop on kitchen table. My teenage son recently built himself a gaming PC (worked fast food over the summer so he could pay for it); I just require him to leave his bed room door open when he is doing stuff on the computer. Makes it trivial to see what they are up to on the internets.
Posted on Reply
#4
AusWolf
I don't have any kids, but...

One would be crazy not to set up any parental control these days. The internet is a dangerous and vile place. Defo not meant for children.

If I had any kids, I wouldn't buy them a smartphone, tablet, or anything similar until they're in high school. I'd let a primary school kid play on the PC, but only with the games I select.

On the other side of the spectrum, I know folks who let their kids use a smartphones from day one. Now, their small one is 10 years old and only recently learned to speak.
Posted on Reply
#5
R-T-B
AusWolfOne would be crazy not to set up any parental control these days.
Yes. Including heavy parental oversight, one would hope.
Posted on Reply
#6
Beginner Macro Device
lexluthermiesterNo child should be allowed on the net without direct, active parental supervision.
AusWolfIf I had any kids, I wouldn't buy them a smartphone, tablet, or anything similar until they're in high school
How one learns how to walk if you walk for them? Just make sure they trust you enough for your "this resource is rubbish" to actually matter for them. With this overprotection, they'll be inexperienced adults just like those born in late 70s introduced to their first ever PC with connectivity around Y2K. In the modern age, it's leagues worse than having bad experience.
Posted on Reply
#7
AusWolf
Beginner Macro DeviceHow one learns how to walk if you walk for them? Just make sure they trust you enough for your "this resource is rubbish" to actually matter for them. With this overprotection, they'll be inexperienced adults just like those born in late 70s introduced to their first ever PC with connectivity around Y2K. In the modern age, it's leagues worse than having bad experience.
Give me one good reason why an 8 year-old needs a smartphone. I didn't have one until I was like 20 and I ended up fine, knowing all I need about safe browsing, data protection and such. I do not expect a child to understand these concepts, so I feel it is safer to shield them from them until they're old enough to get it. You wouldn't want to teach a toddler about safe sex, right? It's kind of a similar thing, imo.
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Oct 27th, 2024 07:51 EDT change timezone

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