Roblox has introduced a policy to prevent children from accessing “reward-driven media feeds” in games available in Roblox Kids and Select.
In a post on its creator hub, Roblox stated that the policy applies to games combining media feeds, autoplay, infinite scroll, autoscroll, and rewards or implied rewards for watching.
“We are actively reviewing games for compliance with the new policy. Games that do not follow this policy will be removed from Kids and Select unless the game mechanic is redesigned.”
This follows reports that the pet-collecting simulator Steal an Egg was taken offline for including a mechanic that encourages users to watch continuous content while running on a virtual treadmill to earn rewards.
GamesIndustry.biz has contacted Roblox to clarify whether this policy was implemented specifically in response to Steal an Egg.
Roblox stated that a game falls under this policy if it combines the following features:
- It displays a media feed to players: short-form videos, image feeds, or social media-style stories.
- It features or mimics at least one of the following mechanics: autoplay, continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or autoscroll.
- It includes reward mechanics that require, or imply the requirement of, ongoing viewing of that content.
Roblox clarified that the policy “only applies if it features a reward component alongside an infinite scroll or autoplay feature that requires or implies an ongoing consumption of the content to receive the reward.”
This does not affect Rewarded Video Ads, as a user “must actively initiate the ad, and [it] applies rate limits to how many a user can watch.”
Games that are adjusted to meet this policy will be re-reviewed. Roblox noted that “all other qualifications necessary to be included remain and the Engaged Player criteria will not reset.”
Last week, the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism announced it had launched an investigation into Roblox, claiming the platform “appears to prioritise revenue and engagement metrics” over child safety.
The platform also open-sourced three of its AI safety models via the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST).