Roblox makes age verification mandatory to access chat features

The popular gaming site Roblox is implementing a sweeping new safety policy i.e., mandatory age verification for all users who want to utilise chat features following a wave of lawsuits and allegations that its platform has enabled predators.

The mandatory verification is announced on Tuesday, November 18, and will require users to prove their age by either uploading a government is or submitting to an AI-powered facial age estimation tool.’

The move is a direct response to claims filed against Roblox from law enforcement and families citing it has become a “breeding ground for predators.”

The online game platform has around 150 million users, a third of whom are under 13.

Roblox’s vice president of user and discovery product, Rajiv Bhatia, stated, “This is a way to help ensure users are able to socialize with others in age groups that are appropriate.”

The identity firm Persona will provide this AI tool that will assist in placing users into age brackets, restricting their ability to chat with people outside their approximate age range.

For example, a user that is aged 12 will only be able to communicate with those 15 or younger.

The company has also assured that the facial images will solely be utilised for age estimation and are immediately deleted afterwards.

The policy will be rolled out globally by early next year, following an initial voluntary phase and a necessary start in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in December.

The improved measures for the age verification coincide with lawsuits from the attorney general of Kentucky and Louisiana as well as a Florida investigation, all alleging the platform has failed to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.