With the wide variety of games out there, it can be hard for parents to know exactly what kind of content their kids are taking in. This becomes even harder when kids are playing games like Roblox, which serves as more of a platform for games as opposed to one single experience. Since players can make whatever games they want, this means it’s harder to moderate, and parents are catching on.
According to a thread that recently went viral on the gaming side of Twitter, a parent is calling out Roblox for a lack of moderation. In a very comprehensive thread, the user (who goes by Carolyn Velociraptor) accused the game of “weird pedo stuff and bathroom voyeur games and suicidal idealization.” She then goes on to detail the examples of the content she found in the game.
Roblox has three tiers of age restriction for “All Ages,” “Age 9+,” and “Age 13+.” Carolyn claims the company determines what games go into each of these brackets manually, with the “All Ages” section typically meant for those between the ages of five and eight. Supposedly, in the last few months, Roblox has added an influx of games to the “All Ages” category.
The thread takes issue with one type of game, mainly. There are roleplaying games that take place inside bathrooms where players can use a toilet, usually in front of other people, complete with changing water and flushing sounds. In another section, users will slip into a puddle and be forced on their back with no way of getting up. After this, it wasn’t uncommon for other players to simulate sexual activity.
She goes on to say that, of course, she expects this kind of behavior from random players online. However, these games were chosen specifically for children between the ages of five to eight. Since it features such suggestive content, the mode can be creepy at a minimum.
Carolyn states that she was able to speak with a friend of hers who works at Roblox. According to that exchange, the company seems to make the point that it can only moderate what’s reported by the community. She states while that’s true, Roblox Corp. owes it to the children playing its game to do their absolute best to protect their interests.
The thread finishes with a theory about why Roblox would suddenly add such an influx of games into the “All Games” section in front of small children, even if they seemed inappropriate. According to Carolyn, as more parents began using the “age restriction settings” it allowed fewer players to play the games that brought in the most money. By giving up on those safety measures, it can earn more.
She finishes the thread by summarizing her entire argument in a single statement: “Apparently they just don’t care anymore.”
