After a long wait and plenty of backlash, Roblox will roll out a major change to its age verification system. Besides disabling chat for minors like before, the new system will also separate users into different age groups, effectively keeping kids away from adults.
In a newly published article on Roblox’s About page, the company says the new system will roll out starting in early June. From then on, users will be sorted into three tiers: Roblox Kids, Roblox Select, and the standard Roblox experience.
The exact age ranges will vary by region, but in the US, Kids covers ages 5 – 8, while Select is for those aged 9 – 15. Users aged 16 and above will get the full Roblox experience… more or less.
Age-Based Tier System
Much like before, the Kids tier will be the most restricted of the three. Users in this group can only access a limited selection of games, specifically those rated “Minimal” or “Mild” under Roblox’s own content maturity system. The article also notes that the app will feature a “distinct background colour” to indicate the account type, which likely refers to the mobile version.
Naturally, all communications are disabled by default. It’s worth noting that Roblox will also auto-place users into a Kids accounts through its age-check technology or parent verification system.
Next up is Select. Users aged 9 – 15 can chat with others in the same age group and add “trusted friends”, with parental consent, of course. As for games, they’ll have access to titles ranging from Kids content all the way up to those rated “Moderate”.
Last up is the tier for users 16 years old and above. Once they hit 16, their accounts will automatically shift to the full Roblox experience… sort of. While they can chat freely, “Restricted” content will still be off-limits until they turn 18.
Age And Game Verification Systems
Roblox also says its global age-based system will automatically update users’ accounts as they grow older, moving them into the appropriate tier. Unfortunately, the company didn’t provide any specific details on how this will work.
That said, users will still need to submit a face scan or ID verification to unlock the appropriate experience. If users refuse to do so, Roblox will push them into a kids-like tier, complete with limited chat and a restricted selection of games.
Once Roblox has sorted users into tiers, the company now faces the monumental challenge of verifying and categorising every user-generated game on the platform. However, rather than handling this task, the company decided to offload this burden to the games’ developers.
Roblox wants developers to verify their identity and subscribe to a $5/month (~RM19/month) Roblox Plus plan as part of a “commitment” system. The idea is that by adding financial and verification hurdles, developers will be more likely to properly label their games with the correct age ratings, instead of Roblox having to handle everything centrally.
Naturally, games will still go through Roblox’s moderation systems. If a game receives the wrong label, Roblox’s AI moderation will monitor it to ensure that both in-game content and chat align with the assigned maturity rating.
Expanded Parental Controls
In addition to these features, parents will also get two new tools to help monitor and protect their children. Starting in June, they’ll be able to block specific games and manage direct chat access until the child turns 16. The other tool lets parents approve access to games outside their child’s age bracket on a case-by-case basis.
Is It Enough?
With all that said and done, it begs the question: are these new features enough to actually protect younger gamers on the platform? It’s worth reminding that Roblox has previously come under fire both in Malaysia and internationally over several incidents linked to the platform, to the point it was facing potential bans.
While these tools aim to protect children, loopholes in the system still exist, with the age verification system being the main one. WIRED previously reported earlier this year that the verification process is a mess and often places users in the wrong age tiers.
Ahead of today’s announcement, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said the company has built-in mechanisms to correct errors when verification mistakes occur. He adds that “If we get it wrong… we offer users multiple ways to correct that.” He also notes that the platform is “constantly measuring users’ behaviour and comparing that against what their age-check data says. If we see those things divert, then we will ask people to run through the age process again.”
Personally, while this overhaul is fairly extensive, it is still not fully reassuring. Roblox has put in a lot of safeguards, but you could argue that it is pushing more of the responsibility for protecting children onto parents and developers rather than taking it on itself. At the end of the day, whether this is enough will likely come down to regulators and lawmakers in each country.
(Source: Roblox)
