Following a series of lawsuits and investigations concerning its child safety systems, Roblox will implement mandatory facial verification for all users who wish to access communication features, starting in January. The platform is also introducing age-based chat, meaning users will only be able to communicate with others in a similar age group.
Starting on a recent Tuesday, users can voluntarily verify their age to secure their access to communication features. In the first week of December, Roblox will begin enforcing the age-check requirement in select markets, including Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. From January onward, all users around the world will be required to verify their age to access chat features.
This move comes amid multiple lawsuits from state attorneys general, including those from Texas and Louisiana, against Roblox over child safety concerns. The lawsuits were filed following reports that Roblox was exposing young users to dangerous risks, such as grooming and explicit content.
For the age-check process, users will have to open their camera app and follow a series of on-screen instructions for facial verification. Once the age-check is processed, Roblox states it will delete any images or videos of users. The verification is being handled by a third-party vendor, Persona, which will also delete images and videos after completing the process.
Once the age-check is complete, users will be informed which age group they have been assigned to. There are six age groups: under 9, 9 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, and 21 plus. Users will be able to chat with others in their own age group and similar age groups as appropriate. For example, if someone has an estimated age of 12, they will be assigned to the 9 to 12 age group and will then be able to chat with users aged 15 and younger. All users aged 16 or older will be prevented from chatting with this user.
Company executives stated that these changes are a way to help ensure users socialize with others in appropriate age groups and to help limit contact between minors and unknown adults. The new age-check requirement is intended to provide a more accurate way to verify users’ ages compared to simply having users enter their birth year when creating an account. Roblox believes this is a first for a company in the gaming, social media, and messaging space to require explicit age estimation before granting access to communication.
Roblox also said it is launching a new Safety Center that will provide parents and caregivers with guidance and tools, allowing them to set up Parental Controls.