Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines aimed at shielding younger users from games that blend media feeds with reward systems, particularly on its Roblox Kids and Roblox Select catalogs. The company announced the policy through a post on its Creator Hub, clarifying that any experience that mixes scrolling or autoplaying media with incentives for continued viewing will no longer be permitted in these child‑focused sections. According to Roblox, the rule targets games that incorporate any of the following elements: a media feed that resembles short‑form video streams, image galleries, or story‑style social‑media posts; a playback mechanic such as autoplay, an endless replay loop, infinite scroll, or automatic scrolling; and a reward structure that either explicitly requires or subtly suggests that players must keep watching the content to earn in‑game benefits.
When all three components appear together, the game is deemed to fall under the new restriction. "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 team wrote. The statement makes clear that developers will have a chance to modify their titles to meet the standards, after which the revised versions will be re‑examined for approval. The policy appears to be a direct response to a recent controversy surrounding the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg. That title was reportedly taken offline after it introduced a mechanic where players would run on a virtual treadmill while a continuous stream of videos played, rewarding them with in‑game items only if they kept watching.
Critics argued that this design effectively forced children to consume an endless feed of media in order to progress, raising concerns about addictive loops and the exploitation of young users' attention. GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for comment, asking whether the new rule was drafted specifically because of the Steal an Egg incident.
While Roblox did not confirm a direct causal link, the timing suggests that the platform is reacting to growing scrutiny over how reward structures can be used to drive prolonged engagement among minors. Roblox further clarified the scope of the policy with a detailed checklist. A game will be flagged if it: 1. Shows a media feed to the player—this could be short‑form videos, a scrolling image carousel, or story‑like updates similar to those found on popular social networks.
2. Employs at least one of the following playback features: autoplay, a continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or automatic scrolling that moves content without user input. 3. Includes a reward system that either explicitly demands or strongly implies that the player must keep watching the feed to receive the reward.
The company emphasized that the rule does **not** apply to traditional rewarded video advertisements, which require an active click from the user and are subject to strict rate limits on how many can be viewed within a given timeframe. In other words, a player must voluntarily start a rewarded ad, and the platform caps the number of ads a user can watch, ensuring that these ads do not become a de‑facto infinite scroll.
Developers whose games are found to be non‑compliant will be given the opportunity to adjust their mechanics. Once changes are submitted, Roblox will conduct a re‑review.
Importantly, the platform noted that all other qualifications for inclusion in the Kids and Select catalogs remain unchanged, and any metrics related to the "Engaged Player" criteria will not be reset as a result of the policy update. The move comes amid heightened regulatory pressure on Roblox. Last week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism announced an investigation into the platform, alleging that Roblox appears to prioritize revenue generation and engagement statistics over child safety.
Lawmakers have expressed concern that the company’s monetization strategies may incentivize designs that keep children hooked for longer periods, potentially at the expense of their wellbeing. In a parallel effort to demonstrate its commitment to safety, Roblox also open‑sourced three of its artificial‑intelligence safety models through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST). By sharing these models with the broader research community, Roblox hopes to foster collaboration on detecting harmful content and improving protective measures across the platform. Overall, the new policy signals Roblox’s attempt to balance the creative freedom of developers with the responsibility of protecting its youngest audience.
By drawing a clear line against reward‑driven infinite media feeds, the company aims to curb designs that could encourage compulsive viewing habits. At the same time, the open‑source AI initiative and ongoing dialogue with regulators suggest that Roblox is preparing for a more rigorous oversight environment, where transparency and proactive safety measures will be essential to maintaining trust among parents, developers, and policymakers alike.