The Roblox editor has promised to establish age verification mechanisms after accusations that the video game, greatly popular among children and adolescents worldwide, has fallen short.
Roblox “will expand age estimation to all users who access our communication functions on the platform at the end of this year,” wrote the head of the US company, Matt Kaufman, in a blog post.
The company would combine estimates of the user ages, verify the official identifications and consent of the parents to “launch new systems designed to limit communication between adults and minors unless they are known in the real world,” he added in the publication on Wednesday.
Around 100 million people use Roblox every day, with children under 13 representing about 40 percent of 2024 users, according to the company. But the game has been repeatedly accused of not protecting its younger players in recent years.
The American state of Louisiana filed a lawsuit in August, accusing Roblox of facilitating child exploitation and the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Last year, the sales firm of short sales Hindenburg Research activist accused the platform of inflating its monthly count of active players and does not protect users of sexual predators sufficiently.
Although Roblox rejected the accusations, he announced multiple steps in recent months to intensify parents’ controls and label better content created by users.
Roblox has a massive online platform with a distinctive aspect of Tellike where players can create their own game within a game and share it with others, with experiences that go from driving or sports to live concerts or shooting games.
The company’s announcement occurs when several governments around the world intensify online age controls.
Websites, social networks and video exchange platforms must now impose strict age controls in Britain under the London online security law, while France and other EU countries plan to prove a new age verification tool for adult content in the coming months.
