Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines aimed at shielding younger users from games that incorporate what the company describes as "reward‑driven media feeds" within the Roblox Kids and Select catalogs. The move is part of a broader effort to tighten content standards for titles that are marketed toward children and to ensure that gameplay mechanics do not exploit the natural curiosity of young players by tying in‑game benefits to the consumption of endless media streams.
In a detailed announcement posted to the Roblox Creator Hub, the platform explained that the new policy targets any experience that blends a media‑feed element—such as short‑form videos, image carousels, or story‑style updates—with autoplay, infinite scrolling, auto‑scrolling, or any other mechanism that forces continuous playback. Crucially, the rule also applies when a game attaches a reward system to that perpetual viewing, meaning that players must keep watching or scrolling in order to earn in‑game currency, items, or progression points.
"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," the Roblox statement read. The company emphasized that the review process is already underway and that developers will be given a clear window to modify any non‑compliant features before their titles are taken down from the child‑focused sections of the platform.
The policy announcement follows a series of media reports indicating that the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg was taken offline after it was discovered to contain a mechanic that encouraged users to stand on a virtual treadmill and watch an endless feed of content in order to collect rewards. In that particular game, players were prompted to keep their avatars moving while a scrolling feed of videos or images played, with each loop granting additional in‑game bonuses.
Critics argued that this design effectively turned the game into a disguised ad platform, leveraging the addictive nature of infinite scroll to push children toward prolonged screen time for the sake of virtual loot. GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for comment, asking whether the new rule was drafted specifically in response to the Steal an Egg situation. While Roblox did not confirm a direct causal link, the company clarified the exact criteria that trigger the policy: - The experience must present a media feed to the player, such as short‑form video clips, image streams, or story‑like content reminiscent of social‑media platforms. - It must feature at least one of the following mechanics: autoplay, a continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or auto‑scroll.
- It must incorporate a reward system that either explicitly requires or strongly implies that ongoing consumption of the media feed is necessary to earn the reward. Roblox stressed that the rule is narrowly scoped and does not affect traditional rewarded video advertisements. Those ads remain permissible as long as users actively choose to watch them and the platform enforces rate limits on how many ads a single user can view within a given time frame. "A user must actively initiate the ad, and [the policy] applies rate limits to how many a user can watch," the statement clarified, distinguishing standard ad formats from the more insidious reward‑linked media feeds the new guidelines target.
Developers whose games are found to be in violation will be given the opportunity to adjust their titles to meet the new standards. Once the necessary changes are made, Roblox will conduct a re‑review to verify compliance.
The company also noted that all other eligibility requirements for inclusion in the Kids and Select sections remain unchanged, and that the Engaged Player metric—used to gauge a game's popularity and activity—will not be reset as a result of the policy shift. The timing of the announcement coincides with heightened scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism launched an investigation into Roblox, alleging that the platform appears to prioritize revenue generation and engagement statistics over the safety of its youngest users. The inquiry reflects growing concerns about how virtual economies and advertising practices intersect with child protection regulations.
In addition to policy changes, Roblox highlighted its ongoing commitment to AI safety. The company recently open‑sourced three of its artificial‑intelligence safety models through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST).
By sharing these tools with the broader research community, Roblox aims to foster collaborative development of safeguards that can detect and mitigate harmful content, including manipulative reward structures that could exploit vulnerable audiences. Overall, Roblox's new restrictions represent a proactive step toward aligning its ecosystem with evolving expectations around child safety, transparent monetization, and responsible game design. By drawing a clear line against reward‑driven infinite media feeds, the platform hopes to curb practices that blur the line between entertainment and covert advertising, while still preserving the creative freedom of developers who adhere to ethical standards. The coming weeks will reveal how developers adapt to the new rules and whether the changes will satisfy both regulators and the broader community of parents, educators, and players who rely on Roblox as a safe digital playground.