Roblox is again updating its parental controls to give parents more information about (and control over) their children’s activities on the platform. The company is updating its internal “Safety Center” to counter concerns that Roblox, which, unlike social media, allows children under 13, is putting its youngest users at risk.
Last year, the company added a centralized hub for parental controls in an update that also added new restrictions on younger children’s ability to exchange private messages with other users. But while that update gave parents the ability to control some of their children’s settings from their devices, it was missing some key features, such as locks.
With the latest update, parents can view their child’s friend list and block users on their behalf. Once a user is blocked, they will no longer be able to exchange direct messages with the child, and children will need to obtain parental permission to unblock that person.
Similarly, parents will be able to block certain experiences in Roblox. Parents already had the ability to restrict content on the app based on its age rating, but parents still sometimes complained about inappropriate content appearing in certain games. Parents can now prohibit their children from participating in certain activities. (Importantly, Roblox notes that children will be able to remove apps from the blocked list when they turn 13.)
Lastly, Roblox is adding more “detailed information” to the in-app screen time metrics, allowing parents to see how their children are spending their time on the platform. The Safety Center will now display “the 20 games their child has spent the most time in over the past week, sorted by total time.” Parents can block certain games or experiences directly from the screen time menu if something seems suspicious.
Roblox’s recent efforts to strengthen safety features for younger users have come amidst a wider awareness of the impact of online platforms on teens. Platforms are trying to address these concerns by increasing parental controls and creating special safety features for teens. But lawmakers are also pushing for change: many states have passed measures requiring some form of age verification (some of which have since been repealed). The Senate is also considering a bipartisan bill to ban access to social media for minors altogether.
