Roblox has released its January Safety Snapshot, outlining several major safety and civility initiatives introduced over the past few weeks.
The update focuses on proactive avatar moderation, new research partnerships, and long term efforts to design safer and more respectful online spaces for players.
The announcement was shared by Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox, and reflects Roblox’s growing emphasis on prevention rather than reaction when it comes to user safety.
Proactive Avatar Moderation Rolls Out Platform Wide
One of the biggest changes announced is proactive avatar moderation. Roblox users modify their avatars hundreds of millions of times every day, using clothing, accessories, pets, and hairstyles to express themselves. Until now, moderation primarily focused on individual items uploaded to the Avatar Marketplace.
While single items may follow Roblox’s Community Standards, certain combinations can create policy violations. Roblox cited an example where otherwise acceptable clothing items could be combined to resemble extremist imagery, which is not allowed on the platform.
Starting this month, Roblox will automatically scan entire avatars every time they are updated. These scans evaluate all equipped items together to detect potential violations before other users see them.
If a violation is detected, the user’s avatar is reset to a default state with all items unequipped. The user also receives a notification explaining which policy was violated, helping them understand the rules and avoid future issues. Users can report mistakes if they believe the system acted incorrectly, allowing Roblox to further improve moderation accuracy.
Roblox Invests in Civility and Prosocial Research
In addition to avatar moderation, Roblox announced new investments in civility research. The company partnered with the Prosocial Design Network to support studies focused on encouraging positive social behavior in online gaming environments.
As part of this initiative, six independent research teams have received grants to explore how game design can promote healthy social connection. Roblox stated that insights from these projects may influence future product design, both on Roblox and across the broader gaming industry.
New Report on Designing Positive Social Connections
Roblox also collaborated with the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University and PROJECT ROCKIT to release a new report titled Designing for Positive Social Connections.
The report provides guidance for technology leaders and policymakers on building digital spaces that support children’s wellbeing, autonomy, and healthy interaction. It emphasizes evidence based design principles that help young people thrive online.
Key recommendations highlighted in the report align closely with Roblox’s existing safety approach, including:
- A multilayered safety system that continuously evolves
- Close collaboration with parents, safety experts, and government bodies
- Teen and parent councils that help shape policies and communication
- Real time voice moderation that educates users and applies chat timeouts
- Proactive avatar moderation that explains policy violations clearly
Professor Amanda Third from the Young and Resilient Research Centre emphasized the importance of collaboration between researchers, young people, and industry to design online spaces that support empathy, inclusion, and positive engagement.
Ongoing Commitment to Youth Safety
Roblox stated that these initiatives are part of its broader, ongoing work with youth focused organizations like PROJECT ROCKIT. The goal is to reduce online bullying and promote healthier digital communities through both technology and education.
With proactive avatar moderation and increased investment in civility research, Roblox continues shifting toward systems that prevent harm early while helping users better understand platform expectations.
Ankit kumar is a Digital Marketing Manager and a fan of the COD franchise and Roblox. Perfection is his forte, and the same can be seen in his work. He loves to invest his time in creating awesome content, doing SEO and discovering the latest games.