Roblox rolling out new safety features aimed at protecting young users
The company behind the popular gaming platform Roblox says that hundreds of millions of people around the world play it each day, describing itself as a digital universe where users can socialize, role-play and explore games created by others or build their own experiences.
But beginning Tuesday, Roblox says users will be asked to verify their age by presenting a government-issued ID or completing a face scan.
The company says the changes are intended to strengthen protections for younger users while giving parents additional tools to monitor their children’s online activity.
“There is no end date when it comes to safety,” said Eliza Jacobs, Roblox’s senior director of product policy. “We will always be improving the systems, adding new technology, talking to our community.”
But Jacobs says, the safety responsibility does not fall on them alone.
“We need to build systems and tools that help parents’ peace of mind, but parents know their kids best,” Jacobs added.
The new features come as Roblox continues to face scrutiny over child safety concerns. Several lawsuits citing safety issues have been filed against the company, particularly involving allegations that children have been exposed to exploitation through chat features on the platform.
Under the new system, Roblox says users who do not verify their age through their systems will have chat features disabled.
The company also offers Roblox Kids, a version of the platform designed for children ages 5 to 8. In that version, chat features are disabled by default, though parents can choose to modify those settings.
Another concern raised by parents and advocates is how addictive online games can be for children.
Michael Shelby, founder of the Technology Addiction Center in Hartford, said games are often designed to keep users engaged.
“It understands dopamine. That’s the only thing it speaks,” Shelby said. “And whatever delivers that dopamine, especially in young children when the prefrontal cortex, which is our brain, hasn’t been fully formed yet. it doesn’t work.
Shelby adds that even with active parental internvention, he believes games like Roblox are designed to be hard to put down.
“Parents are trying to get them to push that pedal to stop. But it’s not formed yet. It doesn’t know how to stop.”
Regardless, Roblox says it believes the new safety measures will assist its ongoing efforts to improve protections for children and families using the platform.
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