Tens of millions of players engage with Roblox daily. It’s one of the biggest and most popular games of all time, but its audience is usually of the younger variety. This has raised frequent questions about the game’s protection measures. The Roblox Corporation has issued new security changes moving forward to address some of the concerns.
Matt Kaufman is the chief safety officer for Roblox. He offered a big insight into policy and security changes moving forward for Roblox to “empower users,” incorporate age estimation technology, and give parents more awareness over their child’s playtime and what they’re playing.
Roblox Wants a More “Open And Engaging Communication Experience”
Kaufman addressed four key areas for change with Roblox’s security:
- Trusted Connections: A new system allowing Roblox players to connect to trusted friends and family members and make communication easier and seamless.
- Age Estimation: Using technology to verify someone’s age.
- Privacy Tools: Users will have more accessibility tools to improve their experience and improve security.
- Insights for Parents of Teens: More parental controls to better monitor their children’s Roblox experience.
Trusted Connections allows: “Users on Roblox [to] connect with people they know in real life, as well as players they meet in Roblox experiences. We’re introducing Trusted Connections for eligible users 13 and older.”
This can be unlocked with age verification. This aspect of the plan is likely to be the most talked-about addition.
Kaufman said: “We believe chat without filters should only be accessible to users who have verified their age. This isn’t just about compliance; it’s about building engaging and appropriate digital spaces for everyone.”
He explained: “Users 13 and over who want to access Trusted Connections will be prompted to take a video selfie, which is analyzed against a large and diverse dataset to estimate their age. All biometric data is handled securely. Users must receive an estimation of at least 13 years old to access Trusted Connections and other chat functions that are restricted to users 13 and older.”
Essentially, the facial scan boils down to technology and likely AI.
The explanation also added: “If our estimation system determines that a user is actually under 13, we will automatically correct the user’s age to under 13 and remove access to features that are not age appropriate. If the system is not able to estimate the user’s age with high confidence, then the user’s age will remain unconfirmed and the user won’t be able to access Trusted Connections. If the user doesn’t pass Age Estimation but is over 13, then they can confirm their age through ID verification and, in the future, verified parental consent.”
It’s theoretical that anyone under the age of 13 can attempt to make themself look older. It remains to be seen how sophisticated Roblox’s facial recognition software is.
Do teenagers need more control over their Roblox security access? Or is this another potential headache to add to the already lingering concerns about child and teenage safety on Roblox? Share your thoughts through the Insider Gaming forum.
Also, read about the ‘Adult Film Star’ who became a popular DOOM streamer, and Call of Duty now requires your birthday to play the game.
Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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