What The Tech: Keep your kids safe in Roblox chat rooms
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Technology Reporter
Roblox’s Bold New Safety Move: Your Child’s Selfie Is Now the Price of Chat
Roblox, one of the world’s most popular games for children, is taking a controversial new step to combat the pervasive issue of online predators in its chat rooms. After facing repeated criticism and even lawsuits for not doing enough to protect minors, the platform is rolling out mandatory age checks that will require users to submit a video selfie to access chat features.
What’s Changing?
The new policy requires anyone under 18 who wishes to use the chat functionality to submit a video selfie. This is designed to confirm the user’s age and ensure the person behind the account is actually a child. If the face doesn’t match the age registered on the account, the chat feature will be blocked.
This measure is being introduced on top of existing protections that already restrict adults from chatting with minors without prior partner approval.
What Parents Need to Know
While the change is a major attempt to solve a serious safety problem, it introduces new privacy
concerns that have left parent groups divided:
● Is it mandatory? The selfie requirement is optional, but strongly encouraged for users who want to chat. Kids can still play the game without submitting a selfie.
● Data Privacy: Roblox asserts that it will not store the photos used for the age verification process. The company is trying to fix an old privacy problem without creating a new one.
● Existing Controls Remain: For parents who remain cautious, the option to turn off chat entirely in parental controls is still available. Parent accounts can also monitor activity logs to see who their child is talking with and what is being said.
The company states the new requirement is part of a broader, company-wide effort to improve safety and reassure parents, following accusations in several states that they were not doing enough to protect children.
The new selfie requirement is rolling out now for all Roblox users who use chat rooms.
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