Gaming platform Roblox is implementing face-based age checks and age-siloed chat restrictions.
Roblox said users will have two options to verify their age — through ID verification or through the platform’s new face-based age estimation tool.
A user’s device camera will record the user looking forward and turning his or her head side to side to estimate the age.
The face-based verification is “typically pretty accurate within one or two years” for users 5 to 25, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman told CNN.
The age verification policy, whether via ID or using facial detection, is voluntary starting Tuesday. Starting in December, age verification will be mandatory in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands and, by January, it will be required worldwide.
Roblox CEO David Baszucki told CBS News the photos collected for age verification purposes will be deleted automatically after processing.
Once a user’s age is set, he or she will be allowed to chat with people only above or below certain ages.
Age will also be used to prevent users from accessing content on Roblox marked for those 18 and older.
“Every day, we work to provide over 150 million users with a safe, positive, age-appropriate experience on Roblox. By requiring facial age checks to access chat features, we’re helping create an age-appropriate environment for every user,” Mr. Kaufman said.
Roblox has faced legal scrutiny for allegedly failing to stop predators and other harmful actors from getting access to children on its platform.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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