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 Select storefronts. In a recent announcement posted to the Roblox Creator Hub, the company explained that the new policy targets titles that combine any form of scrolling or autoplay media feed—such as short‑form video streams, image galleries, or story‑style updates—with mechanics that reward players for continuous viewing.
The intent is to stop children from being lured into endless consumption loops that are tied to in‑game incentives. According to the official statement, Roblox is now actively auditing existing games for compliance. Any title that fails to meet the new standards will be taken down from the Kids and Select sections unless its developers redesign the offending mechanic. The company emphasized that the policy does not ban all reward‑based advertising; rather, it focuses on the specific scenario where a reward is contingent upon—or even suggests—the need to keep watching a media feed that auto‑advances or scrolls indefinitely.
The move follows a series of reports that the popular pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg was forced offline after it incorporated a feature that urged players to run on a virtual treadmill while a continuous stream of content played, promising in‑game rewards for staying engaged. While Roblox has not confirmed that the new rule was drafted solely in response to that incident, the timing suggests a direct correlation.
GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for clarification, and the platform’s response outlined the precise criteria that trigger the policy. Roblox clarified that a game will be subject to the restriction if it meets all three of the following conditions: 1.
The game presents a media feed to the player—this could be a feed of short videos, a carousel of images, or a series of social‑media‑style story cards. 2. The feed employs at least one of these mechanics: autoplay, a continuous replay loop, infinite scroll, or automatic scrolling. 3.
The game includes a reward system that either explicitly requires or implicitly suggests that ongoing consumption of the media is necessary to earn the reward. In other words, the policy only kicks in when the reward component is tightly coupled with an infinite‑scroll or autoplay feature that pushes the player to keep watching. Stand‑alone rewarded video ads are exempt, provided the user actively chooses to view the ad and the platform enforces limits on how many ads a player can watch within a given period.
Developers whose games are flagged will be given the opportunity to modify the offending elements and submit the updated version for re‑evaluation. Roblox noted that all other eligibility requirements for inclusion in the Kids and Select catalogs remain unchanged, and the Engaged Player metric—used to gauge a game's popularity—will not be reset as a result of the review process.
The policy rollout arrives amid heightened 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 protecting its younger audience.
The Senate’s inquiry underscores the broader regulatory pressure on tech companies to demonstrate robust safeguards for minors. In a related development, Roblox has taken steps to increase transparency around its artificial‑intelligence safety tools.
The company recently open‑sourced three of its AI safety models through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community (ROOST), a move intended to foster collaboration with external researchers and improve the overall safety ecosystem. Overall, the new restrictions signal Roblox’s attempt to balance monetization opportunities with the responsibility of providing a safe environment for children.
By targeting the specific combination of endless media consumption and reward incentives, the platform hopes to curb potentially exploitative design patterns while still allowing developers to create engaging, age‑appropriate experiences. As the review process unfolds, developers will need to assess their game mechanics carefully, ensuring that any reward structures are decoupled from forced, infinite media loops. This shift may also inspire broader industry conversations about ethical design practices, especially in spaces where young users are a primary demographic. For creators, the immediate takeaway is clear: if your game includes an autoplay video feed, an infinite scroll of images, or any auto‑advancing content that is tied to in‑game rewards, you will need to redesign those elements or risk removal from Roblox Kids and Select.
The platform has pledged to work with developers throughout the transition, offering guidance and re‑review opportunities to help maintain a vibrant, safe, and compliant ecosystem for the next generation of players.