Following a series of lawsuits and investigations into child safety, Roblox has introduced mandatory facial recognition for all users who want to access chat. The company is now rolling out the requirement globally after testing it in several markets last month.
To complete the age verification process, users must open the Roblox app, grant camera access, and follow a series of on-screen instructions for facial recognition. Once age verification is complete, Roblox says all of the user’s images and videos will be removed. Roblox says this verification is handled by a third-party vendor, Persona, and images and videos will also be deleted after the process is complete.
According to the company, users over the age of 13 can also choose to use their ID to verify their age instead of facial recognition. Roblox notes that age checks are optional, but required if users want to access communication features. In other words, you don’t need to authenticate your age to use Roblox, but you do need to authenticate to use the chat feature.
If the age verification process incorrectly estimates a user’s age, you can appeal the decision and verify age through another method, such as ID verification or parental controls that allow parents to update their child’s age.
“Roblox leverages multiple signals to constantly evaluate user behavior to determine whether someone is significantly older or younger than expected,” the company said in a blog post. “In these situations, Roblox will soon ask users to repeat the age verification process.”
Once users complete an age check, they will be able to access age-based chats. This means that you can only communicate with other users in your similar age group. There are six age groups: Under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+. Users in each age group can chat with people in the groups above and below them. For example, users in the 9-12 year old category can chat not only with users in their own group, but also with users in the under 9 and 13-15 age groups.
Roblox says chat is disabled by default for children under 9 unless a parent gives consent after age verification.
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The introduction of mandatory age verification comes amid multiple lawsuits filed against Roblox citing child safety concerns, including from the attorneys general of Texas and Louisiana. The lawsuit was filed in the wake of reports that Roblox is exposing young users to dangerous risks such as grooming and explicit content.
Roblox said the new age check requirement provides a more accurate way to verify a user’s age compared to simply having users enter their year of birth when creating an account.
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