Roblox is starting to introduce mandatory age checks that will require all of its users to submit an ID or scan their face to access the platform’s chat features. The updated policy, which the company announced earlier this year, will first be implemented in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands and will be expanded to all other markets by early next year.
The company also detailed a new “age-based chat” system that will limit users’ ability to interact with people outside their age group. After verifying or estimating a user’s age, Roblox will assign them to an age group ranging from 9 years old and younger to 21 years old and older (there are six age groups in total). Teens and children will no longer be allowed to connect in in-game chat with people who are not in or close to their approximate age group.
Unlike most social media apps, which have a minimum age of 13, Roblox allows very young children to use its platform. Since most children and many teenagers do not have ID, the company uses “age estimation” technology provided by the identity company Persona. The checks, which use video selfies, are conducted within Roblox’s app and the company says images of users’ faces are immediately deleted once the process is complete.
Roblox did not provide details about how accurate its age estimation features are, but the company’s chief security officer, Matt Kaufman, said it was “pretty accurate” in estimating the approximate age of most of its users. “What we found is that the algorithm is that between 5 and 25 years [range] They are generally quite accurate within a year or two of their age,” he said during a conversation with reporters.
All Roblox users can now voluntarily apply for a face scan or provide an ID to the company to ensure that their access to its chat features is not disrupted. The company says it will implement age checks for all users by January, and people in the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand will have to comply by early December. Next year, the company also plans to place age restrictions on users’ ability to access links to external social media sites and participate in Roblox Studio.
Despite a flurry of child safety updates in recent years, Roblox has repeatedly come under fire for alleged security flaws. The company is facing lawsuits in Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky over allegations it did not take enough steps to prevent adults from targeting teens and children on its service.