We’ve got a full staff of moderators who work every hour of every day to make sure that the content that hits ROBLOX is safe for all ages. Though we have users of varying age groups, we make an effort to keep our younger audiences from seeing offensive words or pictures. Keeping moderators on ROBLOX 24 hours a day for seven days a week is a heck of a challenge, as the majority of our moderators have ever-changing schedules. But each of them enforces a strict code of rules that we’ve developed over time. Here, Community Manager Becky Herndon walks you through how we moderate content on ROBLOX.
We’ve noticed that our users have become increasingly curious as to how exactly we moderate content on ROBLOX. It’s actually a pretty straightforward process. We receive millions of things to look over a day, but the process differs depending on what we’re moderating.
In order to simplify the process, think of moderated content on ROBLOX as either “pre moderated” or “post moderated.” Pre-moderated content, like images, decals, and t-shirts, to name a few, are moderated and approved before they ever hit our website. We’ve tried to streamline the user experience by allowing users to alter aspects of, say, their t-shirt (setting price points for example), while waiting for approval.
Let’s go over our approval procedures. First off, ROBLOX features a built-in language filter that will automatically notify a moderator when a swear word, of any kind and in any context, is used. Swearing is not allowed on ROBLOX. If you swear, we will be notified.
Moderators look at a wide range of content throughout the day, including video, comments and anything that involves language. We also give users the ability to report other users if they’re misbehaving. Many times, users report a user for being mean or rude sometime after the event. Remember: if someone is giving you a hard time, it’s best to report it as it’s happening.
Upon reporting another user, the moderators will look at the offense and make a decision. Disciplinary action is handled on a case-by-case basis, and is always between ROBLOX and the user (we’re not out to humiliate anyone, we’re just working to keep things safe). Consequences are chosen based on the severity of the offense, as well as the users’ track record.
Post moderation happens far less, but it does occur. We shut down any place that encourages dating of any kind, and any places that may negatively affect our users (like something that resembles the twin towers, or New Orleans after the hurricane, etc).
We also allow users to appeal a disciplinary decision by sending an email to [email protected]. The appeals staff will take a look and decide whether or not to lift or shorten the ban placed on the user.
ROBLOX’s moderation system has two key strengths that make it the best choice for protecting our community. One is that our developers have designed it from the ground up to be highly adaptable and maintainable. The second strength is the moderation team, which is active all the time. Not only are they on top of responding to reports, they are constantly monitoring for any potential flare-ups.