Roblox is a popular digital space for kids and teens to congregate while playing their favorite video game, or in the platform's parlance, experience.
Now teens ages 13 to 17 who want to access a special feature designed to make those hangouts even more fun will have to verify their age via a video selfie. Roblox announced the new requirement Thursday as part of a slate of safety and privacy measures.
Once Roblox estimates the user's age — via the AI-powered age verification product Persona — and assigns a qualifying age group to their account, it allows them to take advantage of the new feature, called "Trusted Connections." Teen users can add each other as Trusted Connections, which allows them to communicate via voice and chat without filters. Still, Roblox will monitor all conversations for "critical harm," such as grooming.
If a teen wants to add an adult aged 18 or older as a Trusted Connection, they can only do so in real life through a QR scan or contact importer. When the technology incorrectly estimates a user's age, or cannot confirm their age, teens will be able to verify it by providing identification. In the future, Roblox will allow parents to give their verified consent in order to confirm a user's age.
Prior to completing this process, teens will not have access to Trusted Connections. The feature is the latest move by Roblox to make the platform safer. Last year, the company restricted direct messaging for younger users and created new parental control tools.
Roblox has long faced criticism for the ease with which some predators could engage with young users. Bad actors have a history of encouraging victims to move off Roblox to communicate on other platforms, such as Discord.
In 2023, a group of families filed a class-action lawsuit against Roblox for exposing underage users to inappropriate or explicit content and allowing them to engage in inappropriate encounters. The company disputed the allegations, but political and legal pressure has mounted on all social media and gaming platforms to improve the safety of their products.
In a blog post outlining the new features, Roblox's chief safety officer Matt Kaufman said they were designed partly to protect young users from being lured off the platform.
"This additional freedom to chat more openly with trusted connections reduces the incentive for teens to move interactions off platform, where they may be exposed to greater risk," Kaufman wrote.
In a press briefing, Kaufman acknowledged that Roblox had been evaluating age verification for a long time. He said that the company decided to introduce it now because it could debut in conjunction with "features that we really believe are something that should be limited to an older audience, 13 and older."
Up until the launch of Trusted Connections, all private communication on Roblox has moved through its filtering system, which is designed to block profanity and personally identifiable information, amongst other types of potentially inappropriate content.
Other features introduced Thursday include tools for users to better manage notifications, screen time, and privacy. Users will have access to a do not disturb mode and will be able to set a daily limit on the platform, as well as decide who can see when they're online, with an option to appear invisible.
Teens can also grant permission to their parents to view both their Connections and Trusted Connections. Additionally, parents will be able to see how much time their teen spends on the platform and receive notifications and alerts for financial transactions.
