Under 13s are no longer allowed to speak to other users outside of mini-games and experiences.
These are all positive steps.
The elephant in the room
To access this new suite of parent controls, parents first need to create a Roblox account, and then link it to their child’s account. To do this parents need to add their ID or credit card details. This is a risk for parents.
Our data is being commodified at a rapid rate and scams are rampant, making it difficult for platforms such as Roblox to guarantee the safety of personal information.
What often goes under the radar about Roblox is ongoing messages to spend money. Buy accessories to wear on your avatar while you play, in-game upgrades to make gameplay more fun, accessories for your virtual pets – the list goes on. This reinforces the idea that you need to spend money to have more fun.
The elephant in the room is that the changes made to keep kids safe are housed within parental controls. This requires parents to be very hands on – and digital skills, time, work, busy family life are all barriers to this.
Safety features mustn’t just revolve around parents.
Enhanced safety measures could include more defined segregation of experiences, similar to having separate playgrounds for primary school, junior high school and older users, allowing parents greater confidence in age-appropriate content.
A subscription-based model could also replace the current system, potentially reducing the constant pressure on children to spend money.
Implementing youth-led safety initiatives, where older children mentor peers and younger players about online safety, could prove more effective than traditional parent-led guidance. Children often respond better to peers who understand their digital experiences firsthand.
The bottom line?
The new safety features are a step in the right direction. They won’t eliminate inappropriate content and communication risks. But they should help reduce children’s exposure to concerning content and provide parents with better tools to manage their children’s online experience.
Would I let my child use Roblox? Yes – but not in a “set and forget” way. Keeping kids safe on the platform requires constant communication about what they see and do on it.
Realistically, we can’t let our kids play in these huge virtual spaces without this. We have our own parental control – talking to our child – which is powerful as well.
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Howdy
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Is the question, does it harm? Is it any worse than a child’s imagination.
Is it better for them than the current education system – I think that’s a fair question
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