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Roblox is adding some new restrictions to its game platform for minors under 13.
Roblox will not let kids under the age of 13 play, search for, or discover unrated experiences as of Dec. 3. Creators will have to complete a questionnaire for each project in advance so that Roblox can ensure proper categorization. And because all users can see an experience’s basic information, creators must ensure that their thumbnails, titles, and descriptions are appropriate for all age groups.
Some interactive experiences will also be banned for Roblox’s youngest users. Starting Nov. 18, “hangout” games designed to encourage social interaction (call or chat) or the creation of virtual content (free-form user creation) will be restricted to those over 13. This ban will not affect role-playing or real-life stimulation games with established rules, though.
Nearly 40% of daily users on Roblox are pre-teens. It’s repeatedly faced harsh criticism over its failure to curb child abuse on the platform. Last month, a new report found that minors were being groomed on Roblox in such “hangout” spaces like virtual clubs, islands, or bathrooms, which sometimes have suggestive names. Since 2018, US police have arrested at least a dozen individuals who allegedly abducted and abused children they met on the platform.
Roblox previously announced that it’s testing an age-verification integration with ID firm Persona that can verify users over age 13 by collecting and assessing government-issued IDs. If an older user verifies their age, they can get access to more types of experiences.
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“We’re constantly strengthening our safety systems and policies—we shipped over 30 improvements this year, and we have more to come,” Roblox spokesperson Juliet Chaitin-Lefcourt tells The Verge. “It’s important to know that at Roblox, we’re constantly innovating safety, and we’ll never stop.”
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