The famous online game platform Roblox has just announced the global deployment of a new age-based account system, including Roblox Kids and Roblox Select.
This is part of a strategy to enhance safety for young users by combining age verification, content ranking, censorship and parental control tools into a unified system.
Previously, the program was tested in several countries such as Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
After a limited deployment phase, Roblox decided to expand this system to all users worldwide.
According to Roblox, the new account framework is designed for users under 16 years old to ensure an experience suitable for each stage of children's development.
The system will automatically classify accounts based on age verification results.
In which, Roblox Kids is for users aged 5 to 8. This is the group that applies the strictest safety settings.
Users can only access games that are rated as appropriate age and have passed the platform's censorship process.
The chat feature is also disabled by default to limit online risks.
For users aged 9 to 15, Roblox deploys the Roblox Select account. This group is allowed to access more content but still must comply with censorship standards and age-appropriate limits.
Chat settings will be adjusted depending on the age and region of the user, while additional protection measures continue to be applied to all users under 16 years old.
Mr. Matt Kaufman - Roblox Safety Director said that the new system is built to create layers of protection suitable for each age group, while providing parents with more tools to personalize their children's online experiences.
Along with the launch of new types of accounts, Roblox also significantly expanded parental control.
After linking accounts with their children, parents can track gaming activities, friends lists, content settings, communication options, device usage time and spending levels in the game.
Notably, Roblox also adds a feature that allows parents to approve specific games outside the default settings of the children's account.
The company also expanded chat management tools and blocked games in more detail until users were 16 years old.
In an effort to enhance safety, Roblox was one of the first online game platforms to require facial age verification to use certain chat features.
When the conversion process is complete, those who do not complete the verification step will not be able to continue using the regular Roblox account or accessing chat features, regardless of age.
In addition, Roblox continues to tighten the sharing of links, images and videos in conversations.
It is expected that by the end of this month, users under 16 years old will no longer be allowed to share or view social media links on personal pages, game pages, communities and content creation centers.
In the near future, Roblox plans to apply the international age assessment system IARC to standardize the classification of games according to a globally recognized standard. According to the company, these changes will help build a safer online environment for children, while bringing greater transparency and control to parents.
