Roblox, one of the most popular gaming platforms globally, has long faced criticism for its inability to adequately protect children from potential predators. Following concerns about child exploitation, Roblox was banned in Turkey last summer. In response, Roblox Corporation has announced new measures aimed at safeguarding younger users by implementing tighter restrictions.
As detailed in a recent post on Roblox’s official developer forum, children under the age of 13 will no longer have access to unrated experiences on the platform. Moreover, only users aged 13 and older will be permitted to participate in social hangouts and other free-form, user-generated experiences.
But will these changes be enough to address the ongoing safety concerns and appease critics? The effectiveness of these new rules remains to be seen. In a report earlier this year, Bloomberg revealed that Roblox Corporation had reported over 13,000 instances of child exploitation to authorities in 2023. In connection with these cases, two dozen individuals were arrested for abuse after contacting children through the platform. Roblox responded, asserting that the report didn’t adequately reflect the scale of the problem relative to the platform’s massive user base. The company also emphasized its ongoing collaboration with law enforcement to address illegal activities.
These new restrictions will take effect on December 3. While Roblox currently leaves the rating of content to users, the company plans to integrate a more formal rating system into the publishing process in the future.
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