Roblox has rolled out a fresh set of guidelines designed to keep children from encountering "reward‑driven media feeds" in titles that appear in the Roblox Kids and Select sections of the platform. The company announced the change on its Creator Hub, explaining that the policy targets any game that mixes media‑feed formats—such as short‑form video streams, image carousels, or story‑style updates—with mechanics that automatically play, continuously loop, or infinitely scroll content, and then tie those viewing experiences to in‑game rewards or the promise of a reward. According to the official post, Roblox is now actively auditing existing games to verify whether they comply with the new standards.
Developers whose titles violate the rule will see their games removed from the Kids and Select collections unless they redesign the offending mechanic. "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 statement read. The timing of the announcement appears to be linked to recent coverage of the pet‑collecting simulator Steal an Egg, which was reportedly taken offline after it was discovered that the game encouraged users to stay on a virtual treadmill and continuously watch content in order to earn in‑game items. While Roblox has not confirmed that the policy was drafted solely in response to that incident, the correlation has been noted by industry observers. GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Roblox for clarification, and the platform responded by outlining the specific criteria that trigger the new rule.
A game falls under the policy if it meets all three of the following conditions: 1. **Media Feed Presentation** – The title displays a feed of short‑form videos, image streams, or story‑like content that resembles a social‑media timeline. 2. **Automatic or Endless Playback** – The experience includes at least one of these features: autoplay, a continuous replay loop, infinite scrolling, or autoscrolling that moves the feed without user input.
3. **Reward Linkage** – The game offers rewards—or suggests that rewards are contingent upon—continuous viewing of the media feed. Roblox emphasized that the rule applies only when the reward element is combined with an infinite‑scroll or autoplay function that effectively forces or strongly suggests ongoing consumption of the media.
"Only if it features a reward component alongside an infinite scroll or autoplay feature that requires or implies an ongoing consumption of the content to receive the reward," the company clarified. Importantly, the policy does not target traditional rewarded video advertisements.
Those ads remain permissible so long as users actively choose to watch them, and Roblox continues to enforce rate limits on how many ads a single user can view within a given period. This distinction ensures that developers can still monetize through conventional ad formats without breaching the new child‑safety standards. Developers whose games are flagged will have an opportunity to adjust their designs and submit the revised versions for re‑evaluation.
Roblox noted that any game that successfully aligns with the policy will retain its existing qualifications for inclusion in the Kids and Select catalogs, and the "Engaged Player" metric will not be reset as a result of the review process. The policy rollout arrives against a broader backdrop of 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 the protection of its youngest users. The Senate inquiry adds pressure on the company to demonstrate concrete steps toward safeguarding children. In parallel with the policy change, Roblox has taken another notable step in the realm of artificial‑intelligence safety. The firm announced that it is open‑sourcing three of its AI safety models through the Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST) Model Community.
By sharing these models publicly, Roblox aims to foster collaboration with external researchers and developers to improve the reliability and ethical deployment of AI systems within its ecosystem. Overall, the new restrictions signal Roblox's attempt to balance monetization opportunities with a growing responsibility to protect minors from potentially exploitative design patterns. By curbing the use of endless media feeds that are tied to in‑game incentives, the platform hopes to reduce the risk of children becoming trapped in loops of passive consumption driven by reward mechanics.
As the policy takes effect, developers will need to revisit their game designs, ensuring that any media‑feed elements are either decoupled from rewards or presented in a way that does not compel continuous viewing. The community will be watching closely to see how these changes influence both user experience and the broader conversation around ethical game design for younger audiences.