Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines aimed at shielding younger users from games that blend media‑feed mechanics with reward systems, specifically within the Roblox Kids and Roblox Select ecosystems. The company announced the policy on its Creator Hub, emphasizing that any title that merges a scrolling or autoplaying media feed with incentives—whether explicit or implied—for continued viewing will be deemed non‑compliant. According to the official statement, the policy targets games that incorporate any combination of the following elements: a media feed that presents short‑form videos, image streams, or story‑like updates; a playback mode that automatically advances content, loops endlessly, or scrolls without user input; and a reward structure that either requires or suggests that players must keep watching the feed to earn in‑game benefits. When a game meets all three criteria, it falls squarely under the new restrictions.
"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," Roblox wrote. This language signals that developers will have a window to modify their titles to meet the standards, after which the games will be re‑evaluated.
If a developer successfully adjusts the mechanics—removing the infinite‑scroll or autoplay component, or decoupling rewards from continuous viewing—the game can be reinstated without losing its existing qualifications, such as the Engaged Player metric. The policy appears to be a direct response to recent controversy surrounding the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg.
Reports surfaced that the game required players to run on a virtual treadmill while a never‑ending stream of content played, offering rewards only to those who kept watching. The mechanic was criticized for encouraging children to sit passively for extended periods in exchange for virtual items, raising concerns about both screen time and the potential for exploitative monetisation tactics.
While Roblox has not officially confirmed that Steal an Egg was the sole catalyst, the timing suggests a strong correlation. GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for clarification, asking whether the new rule was drafted specifically to address the Steal an Egg situation.
Roblox’s response outlined the exact parameters that trigger the policy: - **Media Feed Presentation**: The game must display a feed of short‑form videos, images, or story‑like content to the player. - **Autoplay/Infinite Scroll Features**: The experience must include at least one of the following—autoplay, a continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or autoscroll.
- **Reward Dependency**: There must be a reward system that either explicitly requires or strongly implies that the player must keep watching the feed to obtain the reward. Crucially, the company stressed that the rule does not extend to traditional rewarded video advertisements. Those ads remain permissible as long as users actively choose to watch them, and Roblox imposes rate limits on how many ads a single user can view within a given timeframe.
This distinction aims to preserve a revenue stream for developers while still protecting children from more insidious, passive‑watching reward loops. Developers whose games are flagged will be given the opportunity to adjust their titles. Once changes are made, Roblox will conduct a re‑review.
The platform assured creators that all other qualifications required for inclusion in the Kids and Select catalogs will stay intact, and the Engaged Player criteria—a key performance indicator for many developers—will not be reset as a result of the policy shift. The policy rollout coincides with broader scrutiny of Roblox’s safety practices.
Last week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism announced an investigation into the platform, alleging that Roblox may be placing revenue and engagement metrics ahead of child safety considerations.
The Senate’s inquiry adds political pressure for Roblox to demonstrate a proactive stance on protecting its youngest audience. In a parallel move to bolster its safety reputation, Roblox recently 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 wider research community, Roblox hopes to foster collaboration on detecting and mitigating harmful content, further signalling its commitment to a safer environment for users of all ages. Overall, the new “reward‑driven media feed” policy reflects Roblox’s attempt to balance monetisation opportunities for developers with the imperative to guard children against potentially exploitative gameplay loops.
By defining clear boundaries around autoplay, infinite scroll, and reward coupling, the platform aims to curb passive consumption patterns that could encourage excessive screen time or manipulative reward structures. As the review process unfolds, developers will need to audit their games for compliance, potentially redesigning reward mechanics or removing auto‑scrolling feeds to remain eligible for the highly curated Kids and Select sections.
The outcome of the Senate investigation and the community’s response to Roblox’s open‑sourced AI tools will likely shape the future trajectory of safety policies on the platform.