Roblox Adds Major New BLOCK Feature To Protect Kids From Dangerous Predators

ROBLOX is making it harder for dangerous predators to chat with children online by introducing a new age check.

The move comes amid disturbing incidents reported within one of the world’s most popular video game, including claims of online sex parties, bullying and grooming.

The changes will be coming to the UK and US next yearCredit: Getty

Collage of four mobile phone screens showing an age verification flow using a camera. — You can choose not to do the check – but you won’t be able to chat with other usersCredit: Roblox

Now all gamers will have to submit a selfie to work out their age, blocking adults from being able to message minors.

Users will only be able to chat to those in their assigned age group or “similar age groups as appropriate”.

The age groups are:

Under 9
9-12
13-15
16-17
18-20
21+

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Roblox says it is the first online gaming or communication platform to
require facial age checks to access chat.

The checks are starting today voluntarily, before becoming a permanent requirement in December.

Gamers in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands will be the first who have to prove their age.

Others countries including the UK and US will follow next year.

Roblox says it is using privacy protective methods to conduct age checks through the Roblox app using the device’s camera.

Those who choose not to complete the age check will be blocked from accessing the chat feature.

A Trusted Connections tool will allow age-checked users 13 or older to freely with people they know, such as family members.

“Every day, we work to provide over 150 million users with a safe, positive, age-appropriate experience on Roblox,” said Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox.

“By requiring facial age checks to access chat features, we’re helping create an age-appropriate environment for every user, and we encourage the broader industry to adopt similar standards.”

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The big change follows a recent investigation by ITV News that revealed how children are exposed to extremist content within user-created games available through Roblox.

One that was uncovered is called ‘Remove Kebab’, referring to a disturbing online meme about killing Muslims.

And a costume for far-right group Britain First was available for purchase too.

After seeing the findings, Jonathan Hall KC, from the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, told ITV News that parents and teenagers “should not be using” Roblox.

A rep for the firm responded to the report, saying: “We have a strict policy prohibiting content or behaviour that incites, condones, supports, glorifies, or promotes any terrorist or extremist organisation or individual.

“We employ measures to review content and behaviour on our platform at several levels to swiftly identify, block, and remove content or users in breach of our strict community standards.

“We have a dedicated team of investigators who proactively look for signals of violative content on the platform, and we use advanced AI technology to review images, text, and avatar items prior to publishing, in order to prevent known extremist iconography from being posted.

“No system is perfect, but as a result of the effectiveness of our teams and technology, it is very unlikely that someone would stumble upon these types of experiences or content.