Episode Details

After years of criticism around child safety, Roblox is rolling out major changes designed to better protect kids online — and this podcast has the exclusive Australian interview.

Justin talks directly with Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman about the platform’s new age-based accounts, facial age checks, tighter content moderation, chat restrictions, and updated parental controls.

Can parents finally trust Roblox? What risks still remain? And how involved do parents really need to be?

This conversation unpacks what’s changing, what parents should know, and why online safety can never be fully outsourced to technology alone.

KEY POINTS

• Roblox is introducing separate accounts for kids under 9, ages 9–15, and users 16+
• Younger users will have heavily restricted chat and content access
• Facial age estimation technology will be used to verify ages
• Roblox says content moderation now combines AI with human review
• Parents will gain more control over chat, content, and account settings
• Justin challenges Roblox on past failures and broken trust with families
• The biggest safety tool still isn’t technology — it’s parental involvement

QUOTE OF THE EPISODE

“Parents shouldn’t have to be constantly involved. The platforms have a responsibility.”

RESOURCES 

• #761 - Game… or Off? Are Video Games Really That Bad?
• #1261 - Hooked on Games: How to Help Kids Break Free from Addictive Gaming (feat. Scott Novus, former VP at Disney & gaming expert)
• The Screen Smart Series (Webinar)

ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS

• Review your child’s Roblox settings and parental controls together
• Talk regularly about who they’re chatting and gaming with online
• Make sure your child’s age is set up correctly on their account
• Keep devices in shared family spaces where possible
• Treat online safety as an ongoing conversation, not a one-time setup

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.