Roblox is introducing new features aimed at strengthening safety measures for children on its platform. In a joint statement with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the gaming platform shared that it will begin verifying the ages of young users before granting access to games.
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Under the updated system, children under nine will be placed in a Roblox Kids account, where chat features are turned off by default.
Meanwhile, users aged nine to 15 will be assigned to Roblox Select accounts. These accounts will have filtered chat functions, limiting interactions to users within a similar age range and those marked as Trusted Friends.
Alongside these changes, Roblox is also expanding its parental control features. Parents will be able to block access to specific games and manage chat settings for children within the nine to 15 age group.
Photo: Roblox
This comes after recent discussions between Roblox and Philippine regulators over child safety concerns. The DICT had earlier warned of a possible suspension or ban if these issues were not addressed.
Government agencies, including the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), have welcomed the update. Authorities also noted that parents and guardians can report issues, particularly those involving harmful content or suspicious users, through Hotline 1326.
“Because of the green lane that Roblox granted to the CICC and the PNP, parents and guardians can now report any Roblox concerns to our Hotline 1326, particularly the cases involving harmful [content] and encounters with threat actors within the platform,” said CICC Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso.
Roblox met with the DICT to further address these concerns and outline its plans moving forward.
ALSO READ: Roblox Won’t Be Banned in the Philippines—Here’s What DICT Says Parents Should Do to Protect Kids
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