22 hours ago
6
Parents can now block their children from communicating with specific friends or playing certain games on Roblox, an online gaming platform popular with children.
The changes form part of a suite of safety updates intended to give parents more control over their child’s experience on the platform.
From Wednesday, parents and caregivers who identify themselves with an ID or credit card will have access to three new tools. The friend management tool means they can block anyone on their child’s friends list, preventing their child from exchanging direct messages with that account, and report people they believe are violating Roblox policies.
They can also review and change the content maturity level for their child’s account, determining which games their child can access, and obtain detailed screen-time insights.
Under the Online Safety Act, which came into force this year, tech companies must tackle harmful content on their platforms or face fines of up to £18m or 10% of global revenue.
There have been reports of bullying and grooming on Roblox and fears that children are being exposed to explicit or harmful content on the site, which is the most popular platform in the UK among gamers aged eight to 12.
Roblox’s chief safety officer, Matt Kaufman, said safety was at the company’s core and its mission was to be “the safest and most civil online platform in the world”.
The US-based company is one of the world’s largest games platforms, with more monthly users than Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation combined. In 2024, the site averaged more than 80 million players a day, and roughly 40% of those were under 13.
Roblox introduced 40 safety updates last year, including preventing users under 13 from sending direct messages. Roblox has also updated its voice safety technology, which uses a machine-learning model to moderate chat between players more accurately than human moderators.
Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said he welcomed the safety improvements but that “Roblox still needs to get to grips with substantial problems with harmful and age-inappropriate content”.
He added: “Extensive research has shown Roblox is awash with age-inappropriate games and communities, including depression rooms that can compound misery and offer no support to vulnerable children.
after newsletter promotion
“This content raises fundamental questions about Roblox’s broader commitment to safety and shows it cannot just rely on parental controls but must take decisive action to make the platform safe for its young users.”
Last month, Roblox’s co-founder and chief executive, David Baszucki, said the platform was vigilant in protecting its users and that “tens of millions” of people had “amazing experiences” on the site.
He added: “My first message would be: if you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox. That sounds a little counterintuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions.”
