Roblox announced Thursday that it’s launching new safeguards for people who are between the ages of 13 and 18. The company is introducing “Trusted Connections” to allows these users to connect more freely with people they know, alongside age estimation technology, more privacy tools, and insights for parents of teens.
Roblox has come under fire in recent years for how it handles child safety. In April, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a subpoena to Roblox in response to reports that children were exposed to harmful material on the platform and that predatory adults were able to message minors on the app.
The changes announced Thursday are likely part of Roblox’s efforts to appease both lawmakers and parents. The teen-focused update comes eight months after Roblox launched protections for users under the age of 13.
Image Credits:Roblox
Roblox is renaming “Friends” to “Connections” and launching “Trusted Connections” to allow teens to communicate more freely in chat and voice with people they trust. With Trusted Connections, users can chat without filters.
“Users the system determines are 13+ will get access to more expressive chat features with their Trusted Connections,” said Ryan Ebanks, senior product manager at Roblox, in a briefing with reporters. “This additional freedom reduces the incentive for teens to move interactions off platform where they may be exposed to greater risk.”
Roblox notes that conversations between Trusted Connections are proactively monitored for critical harm (e.g., grooming). Plus, parents can view who their teen is connected to as a Trusted Connection.
To unlock Trusted Connections, users need to use the platform’s new age estimation technology to verify their age by taking a selfie video; they must receive an estimation of at least 13 years old to access Trusted Connections. Roblox notes that if the system is unable to verify age with high confidence, their age will remain unconfirmed. If the user doesn’t pass the age estimation, they can confirm their age with ID verification.
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Image Credits:Roblox
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