Indeed, Roblox has rolled out significant changes to its safety policy in the past year alone. These changes are an appropriate answer to the public outcry over how best to protect children from emerging threats online. The improvements address criticisms regarding the lack of robust safety standards in the gaming ecosystem. These deficiencies leave children exposed to hazards such as grooming, adult content and violent content.
In an attempt to solve these problems, Roblox just introduced three new parental control features. Parents can now use the Block feature to block their child from encountering certain experiences and/or people on their child’s friends list. This allows them to curate the interactions and content their children can engage with, thus enhancing the overall safety of their gaming experience.
How Parents Can Use Parental Controls
In order to take advantage of these new controls, parents need to first connect their own Roblox account with their child’s Roblox account. This process needs to be verified by an ID or credit card, so only the most responsible users can access these dangerous settings. Once connected, parents can find the parental controls by going into the “Parental Controls” section under account settings.
An additional, yet crucial, inclusion allows parents to take a stronger role in regulating their child’s gaming use. Parents are only one click away from a detailed list of their child’s 20 best experiences in the past week. We’ve included everyone’s full list, reordered by time spent on each activity cumulatively. This new tool will provide parents a window into their child’s gaming habits while allowing them to find the activities that might raise concerns right away.
For kids under 13, the platform takes 13 strict steps. These newer users cannot themselves unblock anyone that their parents have blocked. They can request permission from their parents to do so, maintaining a level of communication about their online interactions.
Roblox has taken steps in the past to provide parents with tools to track and manage their kids’ daily screen time. These new parental controls are a perfect example of the company’s commitment to further protecting its younger users. This decision is a response to growing pressures and concerns around online safety.
Author’s Opinion
Roblox’s new parental control features show real progress in addressing online safety for children. The emphasis on providing parents with more control over their children’s gaming interactions and content is a step in the right direction, especially given the evolving nature of online threats. These changes offer parents better tools to manage their children’s safety, creating a more secure and user-friendly environment for younger players.
Featured image credit: DearPlayers
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