Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines designed to shield younger users from games that incorporate what the company calls “reward‑driven media feeds.” These guidelines apply specifically to titles that are listed under the Roblox Kids and Roblox Select collections, which are intended for a more age‑restricted audience. In a recent announcement posted on the Roblox Creator Hub, the platform explained that any game that mixes media‑feed elements—such as short‑form videos, image streams, or story‑like posts—with automatic playback, infinite scrolling, or other continuously looping mechanics, and then ties those features to a reward system, will be deemed non‑compliant.
The statement made clear that Roblox is already conducting a systematic audit of existing games to verify whether they meet the new standards. Developers whose titles violate the policy will see their games removed from the Kids and Select sections unless they redesign the offending mechanics.
The company emphasized that the review process is ongoing and that any game that is altered to satisfy the policy will be re‑evaluated for approval. The policy appears to be a direct response to recent controversy surrounding the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg. According to reports, Steal an Egg was taken offline after it was discovered that the game encouraged players to stay on a virtual treadmill while a continuous feed of content played, rewarding them with in‑game items for each minute of viewing.
This mechanic effectively turned the game into a “watch‑to‑earn” experience, raising concerns about the potential for excessive screen time and the exploitation of children’s attention for monetary gain. GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for comment on whether the new rule was drafted specifically because of the Steal an Egg incident.
While Roblox did not confirm a direct causal link, it did outline the precise criteria that trigger the policy: - The game must present a media feed to the player. This could be a stream of short videos, a carousel of images, or a series of story‑style posts reminiscent of popular social‑media platforms. - The game must incorporate at least one of the following automated features: autoplay, a continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or autoscroll. These mechanisms keep the content moving without requiring the player to take additional actions.
- The game must attach a reward system—either explicit or implied—that requires the player to keep watching the feed in order to earn in‑game benefits. Roblox clarified that the rule only targets situations where a reward component is paired with an infinite‑scroll or autoplay feature that effectively forces or strongly suggests ongoing consumption of the media. Traditional rewarded video advertisements are exempt, as those ads must be actively initiated by the user, and Roblox imposes strict limits on how many such ads a player can view within a given timeframe. Developers who adjust their games to remove or modify the prohibited mechanics will have the opportunity to submit their titles for a second review.
Roblox assured that all other qualifications for inclusion in the Kids and Select categories—such as meeting the Engaged Player criteria—will remain unchanged, and that any progress a game has already made toward those benchmarks will not be reset. The timing of this policy shift coincides with heightened scrutiny from U.S.
lawmakers. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism announced an investigation into Roblox, alleging that the platform may be prioritizing revenue generation and engagement metrics over the safety of its youngest users. The subcommittee’s concerns echo broader industry debates about the ethics of monetizing attention, especially when it involves children.
In a related move toward greater transparency and safety, Roblox also announced that it has 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 public and the research community, Roblox hopes to foster collaborative efforts to detect and mitigate harmful content, improve moderation tools, and ultimately create a safer environment for all players. Overall, the new policy reflects Roblox’s attempt to balance creative freedom for developers with the responsibility of protecting younger audiences from potentially exploitative design patterns. By targeting the combination of endless media feeds and reward incentives, the platform aims to curb the rise of “watch‑to‑earn” loops that can encourage prolonged, passive consumption.
As the industry continues to evolve, both regulators and platform operators will likely keep a close eye on how such measures affect user experience, developer innovation, and the broader conversation around digital well‑being for children.