Roblox has announced significant changes to its security systems and parental controls to protect children under the age of 13.
Starting today, Roblox will implement changes to Remote Parental Controls, updated communication settings, and adding content labels to the environment.
Parents and carers will be able to view and manage their child's account remotely, where they can set spending limits and manage screen time.
They will also have access to their child's friend list and monitor their child's access to specific chat features. Users under the age of 13 can no longer use direct messaging in platform chats and will be limited in what messages they can send in games and experiences.
As for the content labels, these will replace the experience guidelines and describe what content users can expect in the environment. By default, users under the age of nine can only access minimal or moderate content, with parental consent required to access moderate content.
Experiences with the Restricted Content label will remain blocked for younger users until they are 17 or older.
These updates are supported by Roblox's partner organizations, including the National Association for Media Literacy Education and the Family Online Safety Institute.
“As our platform has grown, we've always recognized that our approach to security must evolve with it,” said Roblox Chief Security Officer Matt Kaufman. “Today's launch represents the next phase of this development.
“This is the culmination of many months of product development and consultation with online security experts, and follows the launch of more than 30 new security enhancements this year alone as we continue our mission to build a safe and civil place to play. “
Family Online Safety CEO Stephan Balkam added, “As parents look for ways to stay informed and engaged in their children's digital lives, Roblox's improved parental controls are a significant leap forward.
“By offering robust tools for non-intrusive monitoring and privacy, Roblox gives families the confidence they need to foster a safe and rewarding online environment.”
Roblox's security overhaul began last month when it announced that the aforementioned changes to chat and content restrictions were to be introduced in addition to a new type of parent account.
Last week, Roblox rolled out additional security features, including moderation of unrated experiences, limited access to social hangouts, and free user creation.