Following a flurry of lawsuits and investigations over its child safety system, Roblox plans to introduce facial recognition requirements starting in January for all users who want to access communication features. The platform also introduces age-based chat, which means users can only communicate with other users in the same age group.
Starting Tuesday, users will be able to voluntarily verify their age to secure access to communication features. In the first week of December, Roblox will begin enforcing age verification requirements in some markets, including Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Starting in January, all users worldwide will be required to verify their age to access chat features.
The move comes amid multiple lawsuits filed against Roblox citing child safety concerns, including from the attorneys general of Texas and Louisiana. The lawsuit was filed in the wake of reports that Roblox is exposing young users to dangerous risks such as grooming and explicit content.
The age verification process requires users to visit the Roblox app, grant camera access, and follow a series of on-screen instructions for facial recognition. Once age verification is complete, Roblox says all of the user’s images and videos will be removed. Roblox says this verification is handled through a third-party vendor, Persona, and images and videos will also be removed after the process is complete.
Once the age check is complete, users will be informed which age group they are assigned to. There are six age groups: Under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+.
Roblox explained in a press conference on Monday that users will be able to chat with others in their own age group or similar age groups if they wish.
For example, if the estimated age is 12 years, the person is assigned to the 9-12 age group. You will then be able to chat with users under the age of 15. All users over the age of 16 will no longer be able to chat with this user.
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“We believe these changes are a way to not only allow users to interact with other people in their age-appropriate range, but also to help limit contact between minors and unknown adults,” Raj Bhatia, Roblox’s vice president and head of user and discovery products, said in a briefing.
The company says the new age verification requirements provide a more accurate way to verify a user’s age compared to simply requiring users to enter their year of birth when creating an account.
“We believe that requiring explicit age estimation before someone can access their communications is a first for a company like Roblox in gaming, social media, and messaging,” Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer, said in a briefing.
Roblox also said it is launching a new Safety Center that will provide guidance and tools for parents and caregivers and allow them to set parental controls.
