In recent times, most of what Roblox has announced have been related to either keeping kids safe, or just out, both to comply with age verification laws sprouting up worldwide. Today, the game and corporation announced something slightly different. It’s called Family Zone, and as the name implies, it’s something to help kids and their caregivers connect within the game. Or, to put it more bluntly, it’s to help teach older folks about the way the game works, while they themselves learn internet safety from the game itself.
Per the company’s own announcement, Family Zone is “a game built by Roblox and developer MindTrust to teach parents and caregivers about the platform”. It’s also there in hopes that it “fosters co-play between children and their parents and facilitates conversations about digital safety in an entertaining way” as well as “bridge the gap between generations”. But in addition to just the gameplay aspects, the company says that it’s a way for both kids and parents to “also learn about broader online safety topics, designed to boost digital literacy on sites beyond Roblox”.
That last bit comes in the form of “interactive lessons around safety and Roblox’s industry-leading safety guardrails and features”, including parental controls. So while Family zone flips the scripts slightly and has kids teach their caregivers the game, the game itself teaches the rest for things like setting screen-time limits, managing spending, scam prevention and identifying predatory behaviour.
It’s all well and good, but all of this hinges on the parents being open enough to not only let the kids take over the figurative wheel to some degree, but also actually spare the time to indulge in their children’s hobbies. Though if that’s not too high a hurdle, then for what it’s worth, the company says that it will continue adding new educational content and co-play opportunities” to Family Zone.
(Source: Roblox)
