‘It is my personal mission to give parents the confidence and skills to raise children who thrive online.’
Roblox has appointed its first head of parental advocacy to help families "navigate the digital world."
Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov has stepped into the role and joins Roblox from Lego Group, where she served as senior corporate counsel on digital gaming, the metaverse, and child safety.
It's a notable move for the company, which oversees one of the most popular user generated content platforms in the world.
Roblox has repeatedly been accused of failing to deploy adequate protections for younger players. Last year, Bloomberg published an extensive report based on testimonies from 20 current and former Roblox employees who called out the company for allegedly failing to curb predatory behaviour.
Since then, Roblox has rolled out a number of new safety measures—including the ability for parents to moderate their children's friends list and block specific experiences on the platform.
New Roblox hire says company is committed to "supporting parents with expert guidance"
Discussing its new hire, Roblox said Milovidov will focus on "building partnerships and programs to help equip parents with the tools to help their families navigate Roblox and the digital world."
"I am excited to join Roblox to address the evolving challenges families face in today’s digital landscape," added Dr. Milovidov in a blog post.
"It is my personal mission to give parents the confidence and skills to raise children who thrive online while using technology safely and responsibly—today and tomorrow. This role underscores Roblox's commitment to supporting parents with expert guidance, innovative tools, and community resources focused on child safety and family well-being."
Roblox acknowledged there has been an "intense global discussion" around digital child safety in recent years, and claimed keeping children safe remains a "top priority."
"Hiring Dr. Milovidov for this newly created role is part of our efforts to empower families to help children use technology safely and responsibly," added the company.
Despite those assertions, Roblox CEO and co-founder Dave Baszucki recently suggested that concerned parents should simply keep their children off the platform.
Speaking to BBC News in March about the widely-reported safety issues, Baszucki said the company had to trust parents to "make their own decisions."
"My first message would be, if you're not comfortable, don't let your kids be on Roblox," he said at the time. "That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions."