PARENTS of kids who play Roblox must check three new settings built to keep them safe from online sickos.
The smash-hit video game has received a major update that adds three new parental control features.
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Roblox is one of the most popular games on the planet, with more than 380 million players logging on each month.
It’s out on consoles, computers, phones and tablets, and is a favourite of youngsters who can build virtual worlds and hang out with friends online.
But Roblox has also been used by predators who see the game as a way to contact children without the knowledge of their parents.
CRACKING DOWN
Now Roblox has added several massive changes to the game, including the ability for a parent to manage their child’s friends list.
“Parents can now block anyone on their child’s friends list, which will prevent their child from exchanging direct messages with that account,” Roblox explained.
“Parents also have the option to report anyone on that friends list if they believe that person is violating Roblox policies.”
Another new feature is being described as Experience Blocking.
Parents were already able to review and even change the content maturity level on their children’s accounts.
But now, parents can also block access to specific games and experiences – preventing the child from joining them.
On top of that, Roblox is introducing more detailed screen time insights.
It was already possible to view and limit daily screen time for kids in Roblox.
“Now, parents can see the 20 experiences in which their child has spent the most time over the last week, sorted by total time,” Roblox said.
“If parents spot any experiences they don’t want their child to access, they can block the experience.”
That means if a parent sees an inappropriate experience, they can block it so the child can’t go back in again.
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GET SET UP WITH PARENTAL CONTROLS
Roblox explains how the new parental controls work…
“Parents or caregivers who want to start using these new controls can link their Roblox account to their child’s account after verifying themselves with an ID or credit card,” Roblox said.
“After linking accounts, parents can manage their child’s experience from Parental Controls.
“In addition to accessing the new features launched today, parents can also use Parental Controls to set spend limits and manage their child’s privacy settings.”
Picture Credit: Roblox
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VOICE POLICE
Roblox has also upgraded its voice-scanning system.
This uses AI to moderate “millions of minutes of voice chat per day” to make sure nothing bad is going on.
It’s now been upgraded to work in seven extra languages including Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, and Japanese.
“These tools, features, and innovations reflect our mission to make Roblox the safest and most civil online platform in the world,” said Roblox safety boss Matt Kaufman.
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“The roll out of new parental controls and expansion of our industry-leading open-source voice-safety model in seven new languages are just the latest in a series of enhancements over the last twelve months.”
The new features are available on Roblox right now.
