Roblox to Add AI Age Verification and New Communication Features

In-game Friends will now be called Connections, and a new feature called Trusted Connections—which allows players to use Party voice and text chat without filters—will be available for users 13 and older. Trusted Connections will permit teenaged users to add each other freely so long as Roblox has verified their ages. If a teen player wants to add a Trusted Connection who is 18+, both parties must confirm they know each other in real life by using a QR scan or importing a phone number.

In order for players to verify their age, they can choose to send Roblox their government ID. Or, they can upload a video selfie, which Roblox will then feed to an AI tool they call Age Estimation Technology that will guess the user’s age based on their appearance. Kaufman claims all biometric data will be measured “against a large and diverse dataset,” and of course will be handled “securely.” He fails to mention how exactly the data will be protected, nor the actions Roblox will take when their AI inevitably misidentifies someone as older than they actually are.

Roblox also announced the following new player features: Online Status controls, Do Not Disturb mode, and Screen Time Insights and Controls. With a teen player’s permission, their parents will be able to set up a linked Roblox account to view their teen’s Connections and Trusted Connections, as well as their screen time and transactions.

All Roblox communications are monitored, Kaufman states, and sharing of personal information and inappropriate content will continue to be blocked regardless of age. Sharing images and videos is still not permitted for any Roblox users.