As Roblox expands its advertising network, child safety concerns are on the horizon

Roblox’s burgeoning ad network could drive significant revenue for the platform — but as the company widens its advertising offerings, it will have to tackle the inevitable child safety challenges that come with such an expansion.

The full rollout of video ads on Roblox earlier this month represented the latest step in the company’s plan to transform its core product from a gaming hub into a full-service digital platform à la Facebook or Amazon. In the near future, Roblox will allow advertisers to programmatically purchase video ads, with the ability to target specific demographic and geographic groups across the platform’s tens of millions of daily active users.

Roblox’s foray into advertising is a potential godsend for marketers looking to reach both Gen Z and gamers at large. After all, many of Roblox’s power users are children or teens who are rapidly aging up into brands’ coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic. The company’s daily active user count of over-13 players grew by 22 percent between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024, according to figures shared by CEO Dave Baszucki during Roblox’s May 9 earnings call.

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