Roblox has started requiring all users worldwide to verify their age if they want to use chat and other communication features. Without verification, you can continue to play, but communication on the service will be unavailable.
Roblox has started requiring all users worldwide to verify their age if they want to use chat and other communication features. Without verification, you can continue to play, but communication on the service will be unavailable.
According to TechCrunch, the process happens in the app: the user grants access to the camera and follows facial recognition prompts. The verification is handled by a third-party contractor called Persona. Roblox says it deletes the photo/video after the process is complete, and Persona also purifies that data after verification.
An alternative for the 13+ audience is to verify age with a document instead of a selfie. If the system makes a mistake with the age estimate, the decision can be appealed and another method of verification can be used, including through ID or parental settings, which allow you to update the child’s age. The company also writes that it monitors behavioral signals and may ask for repeated verification if the profile is «significantly older or younger» than expected.
After age check, chat becomes age-specific: users communicate mainly with people of similar age, as well as with groups «one level» above or below. Roblox has defined six groups: under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+. For children under 9, chat is disabled by default and is activated only after parental consent.
Roblox has tightened controls amid lawsuits and child safety audits. The attorneys general of Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits after reports of grooming risks and access to explicit content. The company says the new mechanism is more accurate than simply entering your birth year during registration.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Russian authorities blocked access to the American gaming platform for children Roblox, allegedly for distributing extremist materials and «LGBT propaganda.»
