Roblox rolls out age checks amid child safety concerns

Roblox adds age checks safety feature

Amid an ongoing lawsuit against the game Roblox for safety features, the Roblox team instituted age checks -- saying users will only be allowed to chat with other users in similar age groups or "age bins." Roblox said it will also require age checks to access social media links on users’ profiles starting next year.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Roblox, the popular gaming platform, will require users to verify their age to access its chat features amid child safety concerns. 

The company announced Tuesday a new age check requirement designed to limit chats between adults and children on the platform. 

How it will work

Dig deeper:

The California–based gaming platform, which has more than 150 million users worldwide and a large audience of children, said age checks will rely in part on artificial intelligence technology capable of estimating a user’s age from a photo or video of their face. Young users will then be placed into "age bins" that limit who they can communicate with.

Roblox said once the age check is complete, users will only be allowed to chat with other users in similar age groups. Users will be placed in the following groups, or "age bins" that will limit those with whom they can communicate. Those include: under age 9, ages 9 to 12, ages 13 to 15, ages 16 to 17, ages 18 to 20 or age 21 and older. 

Roblox said it will also require age checks to access social media links on users’ profiles starting next year. 

Starting next month, Roblox will start enforcing age checks in select markets such as Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The policy will then expand to other markets in early January. 

"This initiative is designed to provide even more age-appropriate experiences for all users, which we believe will improve interactions for users of all ages on Roblox," the company said in a release. 

Roblox has also updated its online safety center to provide users with more information about the age checks and its other online protection policies. The site also has information to help parents set up parental controls. 

The enhanced safety measures come as Roblox has faced mounting scrutiny over child safety on its platform. 

Lawsuits

The other side:

Roblox has faced numerous lawsuits questioning the company's safety features. 

Matt Dolman, a Florida attorney, represented the family of an 11-year-old Florida girl who they say was groomed and exploited on Roblox and Discord. 

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier last month issued subpoenas against the company, requesting documents to learn more about Roblox's security measures.