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'Roblox' will use content ratings to help limit access to sexual material

The system could keep kids away from age-inappropriate games.

Jon Fingas
·Reporter
·1 min read
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The creators of Roblox are taking extra steps to keep sexual material away from the eyes and ears of younger players. Roblox Corporation trust and safety VP Remy Malan told the Wall Street Journal that the company is developing content ratings for Roblox to help parents limit the games kids can play on the platform. This would give you more control than the current approach, which has the company restricting kids to curated games it considers age-appropriate.

Malan didn't say when you could expect the rating system to appear, but did add that parental controls will be easier to find and use.

The effort is an acknowledgment that sexual content has a significant presence in Roblox, and that it's potentially more dangerous than seeing a graphic act or hearing racy conversations. While many participant in sex-themed games are simply looking for an outlet, there's a chance of running into deceptive or otherwise malicious players. Ratings could help parents limit access to specific content until their kids are ready.

The effort is also a recognition that parental controls are only useful if they're visible and reasonably powerful. Adults won't use tools they're unaware of, after all. And that's particularly important for Roblox, where more than half of daily users are under 13.

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