![]() NBC reported last year that it found neo-Nazi and racist profiles on the site, which Roblox later removed. Most of the examples Reuters found on Roblox included deliberate misspelling of obscenities, or the n-word, which industry veterans say should not make it past standard filtering software. However, the Google search showed that kids could see the problematic profiles and descriptions in a variety of ways, including through friend invitations and group activities. Roblox’s tool revealed no hits, because filters were preventing users from actively looking for problematic content while playing Roblox games. Reuters picked about 20 words commonly considered offensive and looked for them using the site’s own search tool, and also through Google’s system for searching within a specific site. children between nine and 12 used the platform. Roblox advisor Larry Magid said that three-fourths of U.S. ![]() The simplicity of many Roblox games stands in contrast to popular videogame hits like Fortnite or Apex Legends, which depict killing competitions and target teens. Like Microsoft Corp’s Minecraft, Roblox allows users to create and share 3D gaming content via simple tools and send messages to others. It has been credited with developing kids’ logic and creativity. Roblox is a free platform which offers millions of games, many of them created by its own young users through a simple programming tool that the company provides. That makes it difficult to tell how common it is. Unlike Twitter and Facebook Inc, which publish quarterly transparency reports about the types and volumes of purged content, Roblox does not provide such data. Reuters did not find any inappropriate content on such games.Īll sites that rely on users to create material must grapple with how much effort to expend policing that content, and even if that is enormous, there could still be inappropriate posts. ![]() It also lets parents limit the child to a curated list of games vetted for kids under the age of 13. Roblox offers account controls for parents to restrict how their kids can interact with others on the site. Roblox has said it has 1,600 people working full time to eliminate inappropriate content on the platform. ![]() Last month, Roblox removed the examples within hours of Reuters sharing them with the company. In response to written questions, company spokeswoman Teresa Brewer said in a statement that Roblox “has no tolerance for inappropriate content, which is why we have a stringent safety system, including proprietary text filtering technology, third-party machine learning solutions, and customized rules on what to block, which we update daily.” One profile, for example, included “shut up and rape me daddy” in the profile description line, while another had “MOLESTINGKIDSISFUNTOME.” Simple Google keyword searches of its site - conducted twice by Reuters since the company announced its stock market plans in October - turned up more than 100 examples of abusive language or imagery. Powered by user-created games, Roblox is on course for a multibillion-dollar stock market debut before year end, riding the lockdown entertainment boom with its appeal as a place for safe fun and interactions for the youngest gamers.īut parenting groups and investors alike said they were concerned about whether the company’s automated systems to moderate content can effectively delete potentially offensive language and images that pop up on the platform. (Please note paragraph four contains language some readers might find offensive)īANGALORE/SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Profanities and other offensive content that basic word-filtering tools are designed to catch can be found in some game titles and user profiles on children’s gaming platform Roblox, searches of the website show, despite the company’s “no tolerance” policy and assurances it has safeguards to enforce it.
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