Roblox is starting to roll out the mandatory age checks that will require all of its users to submit an ID or scan their face in order to access the platform's chat features. The updated policy, which the company announced earlier this year, will be enforced first in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands and will expand to all other markets by early next year.
The company also detailed a new "age-based chat" system, which will limit users' ability to interact with people outside of their age group. After verifying or estimating a user's age, Roblox will assign them to an age group ranging from 9 years and younger to 21 years and older (there are six total age groups). Teens and children will then be limited from connecting with people that aren't in or close to their estimated age group in in-game chats.
Unlike most social media apps which have a minimum age of 13, Roblox permits much younger children to use its platform. Since most children and many teens don't have IDs, the company uses "age estimation" tech provided by identity company Persona. The checks, which use video selfies, are conducted within Roblox's app and the company says that images of users' faces are immediately deleted after completing the process.
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Roblox didn't provide details on how accurate its age estimation features are, but the company's Chief Safety Officer, Matt Kaufman, said that it was "pretty accurate" at guessing the approximate age of most of its users. "What we find is that the algorithms between that 5 and 25 years old [range] are typically pretty accurate within one or two years of their age," he said during a briefing with reporters.
All Roblox users can now voluntarily submit to a face scan or provide an ID to the company to ensure their access to its chat features isn't interrupted. The company says it will be enforcing age checks for all users by January and that people in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand will need to comply beginning in early December. Next year, the company also plans to put age restrictions around users' ability to access links to outside social media sites and to participate in Roblox Studio.
Roblox has repeatedly come under fire for alleged safety lapses even as it's released a flurry of child safety updates in recent years. The company is facing lawsuits from Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky amid accusations that it hasn't done enough to prevent adults from targeting teens and children on its service.