Colo. (KKTV) – As students head back to school, Colorado Springs police are offering internet safety tips for families, while online gaming platform Roblox rolls out age-based restrictions on its chat features
Known for its popularity with kids, Roblox is dividing its accounts into age groups. Users 8 years old and younger are blocked from chatting entirely. Users between 9 and 15 years old are placed in a limited chatting tier that restricts communication to within their age group. Users above those ages must provide an ID for further access.
Nikki Jackson Colosso, Roblox’s vice president of global public affairs, said the company is expanding parental controls.
“What we’re doing now is offering parents even more control so that they can decide, you know, if their child is directly chatting with someone, is that okay or is that not okay?” Jackson Colosso said.
Colorado Springs police said these types of chat restrictions help keep children safe. Officers said a common danger occurs when adults use chat features to lure children off regulated platforms — such as Roblox — and onto less-regulated apps like Snapchat.
Police also said artificial intelligence poses a risk to child safety online.
“They’re using AI, any number of things to make themselves instead of look like an adult, more like a minor, anything that’ll give that predator access to minors to communicate with them online,” said Sgt. Scott Schneider with CSPD.
Police recommend parents have open conversations with their children about internet safety, conduct regular check-ins, and maintain access to their child’s phone. Officers said building trust and an open line of communication is the most important step.
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