Roblox Addresses 'Child Labor' Accusations

gamerant.com:

Roblox developer Roblox Studio has released an official statement responding to previous allegations of the company using child labor with connection to its user-created games. Since its debut in 2006, the sandbox game platform has become one of the most popular games within the online space. Alongside the wealth of games available through the platform, the game offers a variety of creation tools allowing users to code and develop their own games, with larger games able to monetize their Roblox creations. Now, the developer is responding to some serious accusations.

With the massive community of younger gamers within Roblox, the company hasn't avoided criticism throughout its history. Roblox's freedom of creation and monetization programs for creators have often been met with criticism, especially connected to younger creators using the game design platform. British outlet People Make Games even accused Roblox of utilizing «child labor» in 2021, suggesting the company is «exploiting» its younger game designers. Now, the studio has responded to recent comments about minors associated with its «Roblox Developer Exchange» program.

As reported by Eurogamer, Roblox Studio head Stefano Corraza recently released an official statement regarding its creator program. According to Corraza, Roblox Studio is not employing minors within the developer, referring to the «overwhelming majority» of creators within the Developer Exchange program as over 18. Corraza referenced age statistics for Roblox's top-earning user-created games, with «more than 90 percent» of the top 1000 owned by creators over the age of 18. Corraza also detailed the average age of its top game developers, with the highest earning creators averaging at 25 years old.

Within the statement, Corraza also expanded on how the Roblox team looks to aid its game creators. Corraza shared that many of its creators prioritize «having fun» over the ability to monetize their creations within Roblox, reporting that fun