Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines aimed at shielding younger users from games that incorporate what the company calls "reward‑driven media feeds" in titles that appear in the Roblox Kids and Roblox Select catalogs. The move is part of a broader effort to tighten safety standards for children who spend time on the platform, and it specifically targets games that blend media‑feed style presentations with mechanisms that automatically play, endlessly scroll, or otherwise push continuous content while tying those experiences to in‑game incentives.
In a detailed announcement posted to its Creator Hub, Roblox explained that the new policy will apply to any experience that combines a media feed—such as short‑form videos, image carousels, or story‑like streams reminiscent of popular social‑media platforms—with one or more of the following technical features: autoplay, a looped replay that never stops, infinite scroll, or an autoscroll function. Crucially, the policy also requires that the game attach a reward system to the viewing behavior, either by explicitly demanding that players keep watching to earn something, or by implying that continued consumption of the feed will unlock benefits.
"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.
This language makes clear that the company will not simply issue warnings; non‑compliant titles will be taken down from the child‑focused sections of the catalog unless developers make the necessary changes to their gameplay loops. The timing of the announcement appears to be linked to a recent controversy involving the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg. According to multiple reports, that game was pulled from the platform after it introduced a mechanic that encouraged players to watch a never‑ending stream of content while their avatar ran on a virtual treadmill, with the promise of in‑game rewards for staying engaged. The mechanic effectively turned passive media consumption into a gamified task, raising concerns about the impact on younger audiences who might feel pressured to keep watching in order to progress.
GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for comment, asking whether the new rule was drafted as a direct response to the Steal an Egg situation. While Roblox did not confirm a direct causal link, the company did outline the specific criteria that trigger the policy: - The experience must present a media feed to the player. This could be a scrolling list of short videos, a gallery of images, or a series of story‑like posts that mimic the look and feel of social‑media platforms. - The experience must feature at least one of the following automated behaviors: autoplay of content, a continuous replay loop, infinite scrolling, or autoscrolling that moves the feed without user input.
- The experience must incorporate a reward system that either requires the player to keep watching the feed or suggests that ongoing viewing is necessary to earn the reward. Roblox emphasized that the policy is narrowly focused on the intersection of these three elements. If a game simply includes a media feed without any reward tied to it, or if it offers rewards but does not use autoplay or infinite scroll, the rule does not apply. The company also clarified that the regulation 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 timeframe. Developers whose games are flagged will have an opportunity to revise their mechanics to meet the new standards. Once changes are made, Roblox will conduct a re‑review to determine whether the title can be reinstated in the Kids or Select sections. Importantly, Roblox noted that any adjustments will not reset a game's "Engaged Player" metrics, meaning that developers will retain the progress they have already made toward meeting other qualification criteria for inclusion in these curated catalogs.
The policy rollout arrives against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny from lawmakers. Last week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism announced an investigation into Roblox, alleging that the platform appears to prioritize revenue generation and engagement statistics over the safety of its youngest users. The subcommittee's inquiry underscores growing concerns about how monetization strategies—particularly those that blend advertising, in‑app purchases, and reward‑based mechanics—might exploit children’s attention.
In parallel with the policy shift, Roblox also took a notable step in the field of artificial‑intelligence safety. The company announced that it has open‑sourced three of its AI safety models through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST).
By sharing these models publicly, Roblox hopes to foster broader collaboration on AI safety practices and to demonstrate a commitment to transparency and responsible innovation. Overall, the new "reward‑driven media feed" policy reflects Roblox's attempt to balance creative freedom for developers with the imperative to protect younger players from potentially manipulative design patterns. As the platform continues to evolve, developers will need to stay informed about these guidelines and be prepared to adapt their games accordingly, ensuring that fun and engagement do not come at the expense of child safety.