Roblox, an online game platform with millions of users who are children and teenagers, has officially deployed mandatory age verification in India. Currently, players in this country must complete the age verification step if they want to use chat features on the platform.
According to Roblox's announcement, this is the first time a large-scale online game platform in India has required users of all ages to verify their age to access the communication feature.
This move is seen as a strong step to enhance safety for children, especially in the context that online platforms are increasingly under pressure to protect young users.
Before India, Roblox began deploying age verification by stage in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands from November last year.
The company said that to date, more than 50% of daily users in these markets have completed verification procedures, showing a relatively high level of acceptance from the community.
After verifying age, Roblox players will be classified into one of 6 age groups: under 9 years old; 9 - 12 years old; 13 - 15 years old; 16 - 17 years old; 18 - 20 years old; and over 21 years old.
By default, users in each group can chat with older or younger adjacent age groups. For example, the 9-12 age group can communicate with players under 9 years old and the 13-15 age group.
Notably, Roblox has turned off the chat feature for players under 9 years old to limit risks. However, parents can allow this feature to be turned back on after completing age verification, showing an effort to balance safety and user experience of the platform.
According to USA Today, Roblox uses facial scanning technology to estimate user age. The company claims that this system can predict age with an error of about two years for users aged 5-25, and gives higher accuracy in younger age groups.
The algorithms are built based on physiological changes during development, when young people have a faster rate of change than adults.
The tightening of age verification takes place in the context of Roblox continuously facing safety criticisms. In August last year, the platform announced an open-source AI system to detect sexual harassment language early in conversations.
This move came after a lawsuit in Iowa (USA), accusing a 13-year-old girl of being approached by a rapist on Roblox, leading to serious consequences.
With the mandatory age verification requirement in India, Roblox is showing stronger efforts in risk control and meeting increasingly strict requirements for child safety in the online environment.
