Roblox Levels Up Safety: No More Chatting with Adult Strangers!

Roblox, one of the world's most popular gaming platforms, is making big changes to protect its younger users. The company has announced that children will no longer be able to chat with adult strangers on the platform. This new rule is part of a larger effort to improve safety for kids who play Roblox. The changes come after criticism that Roblox allowed children to access inappropriate content and communicate with adults, which led to concerns about child safety.

To make sure only people of similar ages can chat, Roblox is introducing mandatory age checks for accounts that use chat features. These checks will start in December in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, and will expand to other countries in January. The age verification uses the device's camera to estimate a user's age. After the check, players are placed into age groups, such as under nine, 9 to 12, 13 to 15, and so on. Players can only chat with others in their age range, unless they add someone as a trusted connection. For children under 13, private messages and certain chats will still be blocked unless a parent gives permission.

Roblox has faced lawsuits in several US states over child safety concerns, and charities like the NSPCC have called for stronger protections. The platform already restricts sharing images, videos, and links in chats. The new system is designed to offer more age-appropriate experiences and prevent adults from targeting young users. Privacy is also a focus, as images used for age checks are processed by an external provider and deleted immediately. Parents will still be able to manage their child's account and update their age after verification. These changes are welcomed by regulators and campaign groups, who hope Roblox will continue to improve safety for children online.