Roblox Rolls Out Age-Verification Requirement for Chat Amid Child Safety Criticism
Roblox, the online gaming platform criticized because of child safety issuesintroduced age verification software that uses facial scanning to estimate the age of players.
The system is currently voluntary, but by the first week of December it will become mandatory in markets like Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand for players to chat with others online. By early January, players in all Roblox markets, including the United States, will need to use the software if they want to chat with other players. Roblox said it also launched a safety center with information for parents and parental control tools.
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Roblox says the age verification system is set up to limit contact between adults and children, which is a major concern for child safety advocates.
How it works
Roblox’s new age verification performs a 3D scan of a player’s face, using a mobile device’s webcam or phone, to estimate the person’s age. Based on this estimate, a player can use online chat with other players in their age group.
In a video about the software, Roblox says it immediately deletes captured images or videos once age verification is complete.
Age verification is done by a Roblox provider called Persona.
Once the check is complete, players are grouped by age: under 9 years old, 9-12 years old, 13-15 years old, 16-17 years old, 18-20 years old or 21 years old and over. The company said under-nines would not be allowed to chat without parental permission. Discussions will not necessarily be strictly limited to these age groups. Roblox said players “can only chat with peers in their group or similar groups, as appropriate.”
The company said it was also taking measures such as restricting media sharing between players and using AI to monitor chats.
Ongoing controversy
One of the objectives of the launch, which was first announced this summeraimed to address criticism that the platform had not sufficiently protected underage Roblox players.
Roblox is currently facing dozens of lawsuits related to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation from families of children who played Roblox. It is also being investigated or prosecuted in states including Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky.
Roblox suffered a setback earlier this month when a California judge denied the company’s request to move one of those lawsuits into private resolution.
The company says its security features go beyond what other gaming platforms offer to protect minors: “Roblox is the first online gaming or communications platform to require facial age verification to access chat, establishing what we believe will become a new industry standard,” said Matt Kaufman, chief security officer and Rajiv Bhatia, vice president of products, in an article about the security features.
