Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines aimed at shielding younger users from games that blend media feeds with reward incentives on its Roblox Kids and Roblox Select services. The company announced the policy on its creator hub, explaining that it targets titles that combine elements such as short‑form video streams, image carousels, or story‑style feeds with mechanics like autoplay, infinite scrolling, or automatic scrolling, and then tie those experiences to in‑game rewards or the suggestion that continuous viewing is required to earn something. According to the official statement, Roblox is now actively auditing existing games to ensure they meet the new standards. Any title that fails to comply will be pulled from the Kids and Select catalogs unless the developer redesigns the offending mechanic.
The move follows a high‑profile case involving the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg, which was reportedly taken offline after it encouraged users to run on a virtual treadmill while a never‑ending media feed played, promising in‑game rewards for sustained viewing. GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for clarification on whether the policy was drafted as a direct reaction to the Steal an Egg situation. While Roblox did not confirm a direct causal link, it did outline the precise criteria that trigger the rule: 1. The game presents a media feed to the player—this could be short videos, a scrolling image gallery, or social‑media‑style story cards.
2. It incorporates at least one of the following playback features: automatic play, a continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or autoscroll. 3. It attaches a reward system that either requires or strongly implies that the player must keep watching the feed to obtain the reward.
Roblox emphasized that the policy only comes into effect when a reward component is paired with an infinite‑scroll or autoplay feature that effectively forces or nudges the player to consume the content continuously in order to earn the incentive. Importantly, the new rule does not impact traditional rewarded video advertisements, which remain permissible as long as the user actively initiates the ad and the platform enforces limits on how many ads a single user can view within a given timeframe.
Developers whose games are flagged will have the opportunity to adjust their designs and submit the revised versions for re‑evaluation. Roblox assured creators that all other eligibility requirements for inclusion in the Kids and Select sections remain unchanged, and that the "Engaged Player" metric—used to gauge sustained user interaction—will not be reset as a result of the policy shift.
The timing of this policy update coincides with broader scrutiny of Roblox's approach to child safety. 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 the protection of its youngest audience.
The Senate inquiry adds pressure on the company to demonstrate concrete steps toward safeguarding children, and the new media‑feed restriction can be seen as a direct response to those concerns. In a separate but related development, Roblox has also taken strides in the realm of artificial intelligence safety. The firm recently open‑sourced three of its AI safety models through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST). By sharing these models publicly, Roblox aims to foster a collaborative environment for improving AI governance and to reinforce its commitment to creating a safer digital ecosystem for all users, especially minors.
Overall, the new policy reflects Roblox's attempt to balance creative freedom for developers with the imperative to protect children from potentially exploitative design patterns. By drawing a clear line against games that lure kids into endless viewing loops tied to rewards, the platform hopes to curb practices that could encourage excessive screen time or manipulative engagement tactics.
Developers will need to re‑examine any features that automatically push content without user consent, ensuring that any reward structures are transparent, optional, and do not rely on forced consumption. For creators, this means revisiting game mechanics that incorporate autoplay videos, endless scrolling galleries, or any form of passive content delivery that is linked to in‑game bonuses. Instead, they are encouraged to design experiences where rewards are earned through active gameplay, skill, or deliberate choices rather than passive watching.
This shift may also inspire innovative approaches to monetization that respect the agency of younger players while still providing viable revenue streams for developers. In summary, Roblox's new restriction on "reward‑driven media feeds" in its Kids and Select offerings is a decisive step toward tightening child‑safety safeguards. It targets the intersection of endless media consumption and reward incentives, mandates a review of existing titles, and offers a pathway for developers to adapt their games accordingly. Coupled with ongoing legislative scrutiny and the company's broader AI safety initiatives, the policy underscores Roblox's evolving stance on responsible platform stewardship.