Roblox cracks down on games that reward players for doomscrolling

TL;DR: Roblox now bans games in its Kids and Select catalogues that combine a media feed, autoplay/continuous scroll, and rewards tied to viewing. The rule followed backlash to Steal an Egg’s autoplaying Reels; rewarded video ads and games removing the three elements remain allowed and can be re-reviewed.
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Roblox has introduced a new policy restricting games that combine social media-style content feeds with reward mechanics. The move effectively bans “doomscrolling games” from its Kids and Select catalogues, the two age-restricted categories automatically applied to younger accounts.

According to Roblox, a game falls under the new policy only if it meets all three of the following conditions: It displays a media feed, such as short-form videos, images, or story-style posts. It also includes autoplay, continuous replay, infinite scroll, or autoscroll mechanics. Finally, it offers rewards, or implied rewards, tied to continued viewing.

The policy appears to be a direct response to Steal an Egg, a pet-raising simulator that became one of Roblox’s most-played games before drawing backlash over a feature called Reels. In Steal an Egg, players raise and defend eggs from other players and animals, with speed being the main defence against having their eggs stolen.

Players can increase that speed stat by spending Robux or training on an in-game treadmill. Those treadmills originally came with a large in-game screen that played a continuous stream of short-form videos, mostly AI-generated content and uncredited TikTok clips, while players trained.

The game was briefly pulled from Roblox before returning without the Reels feature. Even so, Steal an Egg remains the platform‘s most-played game by concurrent players. Several users in its Discord server have reportedly expressed frustration over losing the Reels feature.

Roblox clarified that the new rule targets only games that combine all three elements. This means it does not affect the platform’s existing Rewarded Video Ads feature. Those ads require players to start playback actively and are capped by rate limits, rather than encouraging open-ended, continuous viewing.

Which three specific conditions must a Roblox game meet to be banned under the new doomscrolling rule?

How does Roblox define the media feed types covered by the policy (examples given in the article)?

Why was the new policy introduced — which game and feature prompted the response?

Does the new rule affect Roblox’s existing Rewarded Video Ads system, and why or why not?

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Developers of affected games can redesign the offending mechanics to remain eligible for the Kids and Select catalogues. Roblox says it will re-review any game that makes those changes without resetting its existing player-engagement standing.