Roblox Launches New Age-Check System Amid Child Exploitation Lawsuits

Phased rollout begins immediately and will go global by January, focusing on facial age check estimations, company says.

Following years of complaints and lawsuits over inadequate child safety protections, the maker of Roblox is now rolling out a new age verification system before allowing users to chat on the platform.

Roblox Corporation announced the features in a press release issued on November 18, saying it aims to establish a “gold standard” for child safety. The new protections take effect immediately with a voluntary age check that will become mandatory in some markets in December and expand worldwide in early January.

The popular video game construction set was first launched in September 2006, and has been aggressively marketed toward children. Roblox allows users to build their own games, create customized avatars, make in-game purchases and explore player-created games and worlds.

The game also includes a chat system that critics and many parents say has fueled hundreds of reports of Roblox child exploitation, including grooming, blackmail and instances where predators posing as children abducted, assaulted or trafficked young users.

These incidents have led to a growing number of Roblox lawsuits filed throughout the U.S., each raising similar allegations that the app was intentionally designed in a way to encourage growth on the platform at the expense of child users’ safety.

Parents and other critics have accused Roblox Corporation of turning a blind eye toward incidents of child sexual abuse that occur through its chat system. However, the Roblox Corporation announced in September that it was going to put new safety measures in place by the end of the year, including age verification and a system to confirm minors have parental consent to chat, in an attempt to limit communications between adults and minors.

This week’s press release explains the details of how the age verification system will work and when it will go into effect. According to the company, this system will be the first to require facial age checks before allowing chat capabilities on the platform, indicating that it hopes the system will become the “gold standard” for gaming.

The system will be introduced through a phased global rollout, beginning with a voluntary age-check period starting today before becoming mandatory in select markets in early December. By early January, the system is expected to be in place worldwide, the company stated.

“Once the age check is complete, users will only be allowed to chat with others in similar age groups, unless they become Trusted Connections with people they know. This initiative is designed to provide even more age-appropriate experiences for all users, which we believe will improve interactions for users of all ages on Roblox.”

– The Roblox Corporation

The company also indicates it is monitoring all chat, which is filtered based on the users age, and will block inappropriate content. In addition, the company prohibits image and video sharing in chat and will begin preventing the addition of social media links early next year.

Roblox Lawsuit Motion To Consolidate

Given the growing number of Roblox child sexual exploitation lawsuits being filed in recent months, a group of plaintiffs filed a motion with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) in September, calling for all claims filed in federal courts to be consolidated before one judge in the Northern District of California.

The motion argues that consolidation would prevent conflicting rulings by different judges and avoid duplicative discovery into the common issues raised against Roblox, while also serving the convenience of the Court, the parties and the witnesses. If consolidated, the lawsuits would still proceed as individual claims.

Roblox lawyers are continuing to review claims for individuals who believe they or their child were harmed through the app to determine whether they qualify for a lawsuit or potential settlement. These evaluations are confidential, and the lawyers work on a contingency basis.

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