As a Roblox developer, I feel that it’s unfair for Roblox to have a different policy on Twitter than on Roblox, regarding mentioning the social sites and posting links to it in a game.
To clarify what I am talking about, here’s the difference between Twitter and Discord on Roblox as of now:
Twitter can be mentioned in games and put in social links
Discord can ONLY and STRICTLY be mentioned in the social links on games, mentions of Discord or decals using the Discord logo are banned on Roblox.
Both of those social platforms have terms that they should only be used by people that are 13 years or older, it’s NOT JUST DISCORD. I understand Roblox’s concerns about the terms of these sites, but the terms on Twitter are same as on Discord - you need to be 13+.
However, Twitter can be mentioned in games and even links to Twitter are allowed outside of the Social boxes. This is not the case with Discord, as you get an instant warning or ban when you try to say “Discord” in your game or upload assets with the Discord logo. “Discord” is also censored in chats, while “Twitter” is not.
Do you think it is fair to be overly protective with Discord, while Twitter has almost the exact terms as Discord - only 13+ can access both?
So I suggest changing the policies on social links for Twitter and Discord to be equal.
If you do not agree, please clarify how is Twitter “more safe” for kids than Discord. You can literally post the same stuff on Twitter as you can on Discord.
Nearly everyone uses Discord. The strict policy on Discord in Roblox chats makes it difficult to communicate with other developers. It’s really unfair how Roblox handles Discord compared to other Social media platforms.
I love to see this policy changed, and I really support your idea.
Pretty sure this is what PolicyService | Documentation - Roblox Creator Hub will be for eventually. (see the “AllowedExternalLinkReferences - Array of strings”) It would allow Roblox to specify to developers on a per-player basis what links you can show.
I guess the reason for this is because it’s easier to get scammed on Discord? The only real scams that happen on Twitter are commission scammers which can also happen on Discord, but it’s much easier to find a way to get a RAT or fall victim to some other sorts of cookie logging on Discord. Chatting and DMs are much more the focus on Discord and Twitter is mainly posting what you’re up to. HOWEVER, WAYYYYYYYYYYY more people are active on Discord than Twitter, at least on Roblox, and it’s easier to build a community for your game using solely Discord. Finally, the 13+ argument is completely irrelevant because you can’t see social links on an account with a birth year under 13, unless you lie about your age, which I think is against ToS.
My understanding on the situation is that Roblox was kowtowing to what Discord asked of them, so Roblox would be implemented on Discord for integrations & stuff. Roblox & Twitter have no such deal.*
Either way though, it’s not that big of a deal. As a note, Discord’s ToS also says that users in your server under the age of 13, if you harbor them, Discord may take your server down. So Roblox’s due diligence about what you can and can’t show to under 13 accounts may save you from some hassle in the long run.
(*This is just my speculation on why Roblox would take Discord’s ToS stronger than Twitter. This isn’t a solid fact.)
Sorry for bumping, but I think this topic isn’t getting the attention that it should need.
It’s really unfair and frustrating that you can say Twitter and your Twitter username everywhere on Roblox, but Discord and your Discord tag gets tagged.
I (and many others) have to constantly bypass the chat filter to give my Discord tag to other 13+ users.
I think this should get more attention, and the correct Roblox department should take care of this.
Last thing I want to say is:
Twitter, Facebook or any other Social Media platform that is allowed on Roblox is not safer than Discord. The inappropriate and dangerous stuff that can happen on Discord also happens on Twitter and Facebook.
Discord does a really good job on listening to reports from users and they take down suspicious accounts. They have a better Trust and Safety team compared to Facebook for example (in my opinion).
Nothing about safety or not, it’s the fact that to view any page on Discord you require an account, which is not true for Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. If Roblox allowed <13s to point to Discord, it’d be encouraging them to (illicitly) sign up.
Then why are people allowed to ask people to follow them on Twitter? That is advertising the creation of a Twitter account which if directed to, requires the creation of an account to potentially gain.
If directed to discord as the same asked to follow on Twitter you must make an account all the same.
Yes, and it’s a well known problem that age gates are easy to bypass because (shocker) children can lie about their age.
That doesn’t mean, however, that it doesn’t have a purpose. It’s basically an attempt to shift liability from themselves (hosting age inappropriate content) onto the child (for lying about their age, which is at best a violation of ToS, and if financial transactions are involved, it’s fraud). Banning Discord links in game or for <13s shifts the blame off of Roblox if some kid sees inappropriate content on Discord.
Given Roblox’s acquisition of Guilded, which directly competes with Discord, I think it’s unlikely Roblox will make any progress in this direction.