Roblox Blocks Children From Chatting To Adult Strangers

Roblox is rolling out mandatory facial age-verification for chat features to prevent children from communicating with adult strangers. The platform will restrict chat to verified age groups, expand parental controls, and become the first major gaming platform to require facial age checks for messaging. The BBC reports: Mandatory age checks will be introduced for accounts using chat features, starting in December for Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, then the rest of the globe from January. Rani Govender, policy manager for child safety online at the NSPCC, said action had been needed because young people had been exposed to 'unacceptable risks' on Roblox, 'leaving many vulnerable to harm and online abuse.'

The charity welcomed the platform's latest announcement but called on Roblox to 'ensure they deliver change for children in practice and prevent adult perpetrators from targeting and manipulating young users.' The platform averaged more than 80 million daily players in 2024, about 40% of them under the age of 13.

Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer for Roblox, told a press briefing the age estimation technology is 'pretty accurate.' He claimed the system can make close estimates of 'within one to two years' bracket for users aged between five and 25. Currently it can be used voluntarily by anyone in the world.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.