Controversy is nothing new in the gaming industry, but what can separate certain levels of controversy from others is how it’s handled and how things are fixed in the long run. In the case of Roblox, one of its biggest controversies happens to be about its use by children and how those children can potentially be preyed upon by other people in the game. Yes, that sounds a bit dark for this game, but there have been numerous documented cases of this happening, and parents aren’t thrilled about it. That doesn’t even discuss the microtransactions side of things, which even young kids felt was like “gambling” at certain points. Just saying.
However, let it not be said that Roblox is merely “taking this in stride.” Instead, as noted by the BBC, there are some new parental controls that can be used by concerned parents that will allow them to better control who their kids interact with and what they can do in the game itself.
One of the key features is a special block option that can ensure that kids aren’t allowed to go to certain games within the universe or can’t talk with someone that a parent thinks is dangerous. While this may not fix everything that’s wrong with the game, and it would require parents to pay attention to what their kids are playing on the platform and who they interact with, it is a step in the right direction, and the game’s Chief Safety Officer had this to say on the matter:
“These tools, features, and innovations reflect our mission to make Roblox the safest and most civil online platform in the world.”
That’s a bold claim, especially since some people aren’t sold on what’s being implemented here. One outside regular told BBC that there would need to be “more done” to get things to where they can actually be safe for children.
Plus, as noted, these features only work if parents are actively aware of what their children are doing in the game and who they are interacting with. Another thing to note is that these features are only applicable to accounts that are linked to parent accounts and to users who are under 12. That means that if they’re just a few years older, parents can’t block it, and that’s a problem because there are plenty of game worlds that “cross the line” that a 14 or 15-year-old teen shouldn’t see or play.
As such, we’ll keep our eyes on things as it develops.
