Table Of Contents
Roblox is one of the most popular gaming platforms with millions of users worldwide including kids of various ages. According to an independent study, about 21% of Roblox players were 9-12 years old. Despite this huge number of underage users, Roblox has been continuously accused of not having adequate safety measures for protecting its young users from being exposed to harmful content.
However, on November 7th, 2024, Roblox announced new safety features and age-appropriate restrictions. Let’s take a closer look at the new safety features and how they can affect your gaming experience.
Roblox Safety Update for Children
According to the updated safety features of Roblox, those in charge of interactive social hangouts and free-form 2D user creation should fill out a questionnaire, and only the experiences that are deemed safe for children as per the questionnaire will be accessible to users below 13. This safety update will become effective on November 18th, 2024. Additionally, children below 13 will be also restricted from playing, searching, or discovering unrated experiences by default.
Creators on Roblox have been given till December 3, 2024, to fill out the questionnaire with accurate and appropriate information about the experience they are providing and their target user base.
As social hangouts and free-form user creation have been some of the major outlets for perpetrators to lure in unsuspecting kids, there is a much stricter restriction now. Experimenting with social elements and interactive features must be friendly to a young audience, and the inclusion of whiteboards so that anyone can draw anything should be restricted to kids.
Also Read: Nvidia Announces Game-Changing Updates To GeForce Now For Gamers
Does the Restriction Affect Gaming Experience?
The new safety features seem essential for restricting children from being exposed to explicit content and talking with strangers. However, it can affect the gaming experience at least in some way. For starters restricting social hangouts entirely will eliminate the possibility of interacting with the person you meet in the game regardless of their age and intentions.
However, this might not be a big step back and you would most likely get used to the restrictions. We should wait till the complete implementation of the restrictions to see its actual effects. It is important to note that the safety restrictions are just a small price to pay for being safe from inappropriate content.
How to Restrict Inappropriate Games from Children?
While Roblox is making progressive moves for restricting children from inappropriate content, it is not the same with many other online games marketed as “Kid’s Games”. Let’s see how you as a parent can restrict your kids from playing games that might get them exposed to unsafe content.
1. Parental controls: Use the parental control features on your child’s device to restrict them completely from accessing games made for a more mature user base.
2. Set time limits: Set a time limit for how long a child can play a game. By setting reasonable limits, you can restrict your child from casually chatting with strangers and having a bond without knowing the other person’s true intentions.
3. Use third-party applications: Certain third-party applications such as Kaspersky Safe Kids can restrict game contents, videos, and browsing on a child’s device.
The above-mentioned are some of the common things you can do to reduce the risk of your child’s exposure to unsafe content.
Read More: Best GBA Games : The Advanced Must-Play Titles For Gamers
Final Thoughts
Roblox has finally decided to update its child safety policy and is taking strict measures to restrict children below 13 from accessing certain in-game experiences. This move is taken after Turkey’s Roadblock ban for safety reasons.
We can assume that this move can be beneficial for children, without affecting the gameplay too much.
