Concerns have been expressed about the possibility that young children could be exposed to explicit language online when popular game Roblox releases its voice chat function.
After years of only offering the text option to young users, now the buzz surrounds the voice chat.
“Text chat is the core of Roblox communication today,” said Roblox engineering chief Adam Miller. “In the future, we expect to open up communication through safe voice chat. We filter all text communications to block inappropriate content, including profanity and personal information. The goal is to enable safe and positive communication. Communicating with friends is key to our social experience. When users communicate, they engage more, play together more, and even make more purchases.”
There is no official release date for the voice chat function – however concern has already been expressed that young users could be exposed to inappropriate content.
Roblox, created in 2006, is a multiplayer game aimed at younger players and it lets users design their own virtual worlds in a Lego-like manner.
Players can create their own avatars, and talk to other gamers in real-time.
Around 164million players play globally.
At the Roblox Investor Day presentation, the game’s developers said that 56% of daily users are under the age of 13.
