Roblox has announced that it will block children under 13 from sending messages to others on the online gaming platform, as part of new efforts to protect children.
Child users will not be able to send direct messages within games unless a parent or verified guardian gives them permission, they write foreign media, the Telegraph reports.
Parents will also be able to view and manage their child's account, including viewing their online friends list and setting daily limits on their play time.
Roblox is the most popular gaming platform for eight to 12-year-olds in the UK, according to Ofcom research, but it has been urged to make its "experiences" safer for children.
The company said it will start rolling out the changes from Monday and they will be fully implemented by the end of March 2025.
This means that young children will still be able to access public chats that are viewed by everyone in the games - so they can still talk to their friends - but they can't have private chats without parental consent.
Matt Kaufman, Roblox's chief security officer, said the game is played by 88 million people every day and over 10% of its total employees - equivalent to thousands of people - work on the platform's security features.
"As our platform has grown in scale, we have always recognized that our approach to security must evolve with it," he said.
In addition to preventing children from sending direct messages (DMs) across the platform, this will give parents more ways to easily view and manage their child's activity.
Parents and guardians must verify their identity and age with a form of government-issued ID or a credit card in order to access parental permissions for their child through their account.
But Mr Kaufman acknowledged that identity verification is a challenge many tech companies face and urged parents to ensure their child is of the correct age on their accounts. /Telegraph/
