Roblox, one of the world's largest digital platforms for gaming and social interaction, is tightening its rules regarding adult content. The company has announced that all material that could be perceived as erotic or sexual is now prohibited, even content that only hints at such activities.
The policy change comes just days after Roblox was sued by a state judge in the US, who argued that the service is filled with potentially harmful content and environments for children.
Critics have long pointed out that the otherwise child-friendly platform has struggled to keep inappropriate content under control. Under the new rules, unrated material will only be visible to developers themselves. Roblox is also working on methods to quickly identify and handle users who engage in inappropriate or violent behavior.
Matt Kaufman, Roblox's Chief Safety Officer, explained:
"We've seen that Social Hangouts—experiences where the primary purpose is to chat with other users as the user or their avatar—can sometimes contain inappropriate user behavior when they include certain settings. Although these settings are not against our current policies, we've observed higher rates of inappropriate user behavior in them, so we're further restricting some of them from our younger users."
Additional changes apply to younger players. Users under 17 will no longer be able to access private virtual spaces such as bathrooms, bedrooms, bars, or nightclubs. According to Kaufman, the decision is about protecting minors from environments where higher rates of inappropriate behavior have been observed.
In short, Roblox is signaling a sharp shift in policy—an attempt to regain control of its reputation after heavy criticism.
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