After implementing age verification for all users in Australia and a few select other areas, gaming platform Roblox is now expanding that globally with users in the US in particular starting to see in-app prompts asking them to verify their age.
That will roll out to all regions around the world where in-game chat is available within Roblox.
This is a huge leap forward for child safety online, and a move likely to be emulated across gaming platforms generally as law makers around the world focus on protecting kids in a digital age that is expanding rapidly.
Roblox say that “tens of millions of daily active users” have already completed an age check, with more than 50% completed in the areas already launched which include Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
While some people – who do not have the interests of young children in mind – see this as a nanny state approach or over-reach and raising issues of privacy concerns, the fact is this is about stopping people outside the age group of a child, talking to that child online.
It’s built though to ensure that real people with real connections to kids like family members or mates, perhaps the older siblings of their similarly aged mates can in fact chat through a “Trusted Connections” feature, but in simple terms, kids can only talk to kids their own age.
No complaints from me.
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts several popular podcasts, EFTM, Two Blokes Talking Tech, Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars, The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, and the Private Feed. He is the resident tech expert for Triple M on radio across Australia, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show and appears regularly on 9 News, A Current Affair and Sky News Early Edition.
Father of three, he is often found in his Man Cave.
