Roblox launches new age verification system to unlock unfiltered chats
Rafael Henrique | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Roblox announced the start of age-verification technology Thursday for users who want to chat more freely on the social-gaming platform as part of its new “trusted connections” feature.
Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said that the company felt it was the right time to implement age-estimation software to coincide with “features that we really believe are something that should be limited to an older audience — 13 and over.”
The company’s use of age-screening tech, provided by the identity verification company Persona, comes as several states, like Utah, have established age-verification laws requiring app store owners like Apple and Google to verify the age of their users.
Social media companies like Meta, X and Snap contend that app store operators should be tasked with verifying people’s ages, while Apple and Google have argued otherwise.
Roblox’s use of age-estimation tech will help the company “confirm the age of our users and give them more tailored and age-appropriate features,” said Ryan Ebanks, a Roblox principal product manager for social products.
Users over 13 years old will be prompted to use the facial-analysis software to estimate their age and determine whether they can access the new “trusted connections” feature that allows them to engage in private, unfiltered chats with other age-screened users, Ebanks said.
What used to be known as a Roblox user’s “friends” will now be called “connections,” said Ebanks.
A Roblox user’s “trusted connections” are essentially a subset of their connections that they “know and trust” and can communicate with on the platform without experiencing certain content filters that proactively screen for offensive language deemed inappropriate for children, Ebanks explained.
Teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 must use a QR scan or Roblox’s contact importer tool to add other users they know in real life who are over the age of 18 as trusted connections, the company said.
Kaufman said that up until now, all private messages have been filtered to block profanity and things that are “inappropriate for a platform of all ages.”
Roblox believes that by implementing age-screening to access unfiltered chats, the company can “create an opportunity for teens and adults to stay on Roblox and have their open communications happening here rather than going to other platforms,” Kaufman said.
The company will continue to proactively monitor all conversations on the platform for “critical harms,” he said.
If Roblox users have previously used their ID documentation to verify their age in order to access certain mature games on the platform, they will not have to use the age-estimation technology, Roblox said in a blog post. The the age-estimation software is “optional,” and users “over 13 can still verify their age using a government-issued ID instead, and, in the future, verified parental consent,” the blog post said.
The company also debuted new privacy and well-being tools that will let users see how much time they spend on Roblox, set daily time limits, activate a “do not disturb” mode, and access online status control features.
Roblox said that parents, with their teens’ permission, will also be able to set up linked Roblox accounts allowing them to view their teens’ connections and trusted connections, how much time they spend on Roblox and its various games, and insights on their transactions and spending.
In February, Roblox and Discord were sued over allegations that their respective platforms let online predators discover and connect with underage victims.
Reddit this week also began using age-verification technology from Persona to ensure that its United Kingdom users under the age of 18 would be prevented from viewing certain kinds of mature content to comply with the country’s Online Safety Act.
WATCH: Crypto bills stumble on key procedural hurdle in House of Representatives.
Oracle stock dipped about 5% on Wednesday following a report that discussions with Blue Owl Capital on backing a $10 billion data center in Michigan had stalled, although the cloud company later disputed the report.
Blue Owl had been in talks with Oracle about funding a 1-gigawatt facility for OpenAI in Saline Township, Michigan, according to the Financial Times.
However, the plans fell through due to concerns about Oracle’s rising debt levels and extensive artificial intelligence spending, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
This comes as some investors raise red flags about the funding behind the rush to build ever more data centers.
The concern is that some hyperscalers are turning to private equity markets rather than funding the buildings themselves, and entering into lease agreements that could prove risky.
Blue Owl did look into the project, but pulled out due to unfavorable debt terms and the structure of repayments, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans who asked not to be named in order to discuss a confidential matter.
Blue Owl is still involved in two other Oracle sites, the person said.
The person added that Blue Owl was also concerned that local politics in Michigan would cause construction delays.
Oracle later responded to the FT report, saying the project was moving forward and that Blue Owl was not part of equity talks.
“Our development partner, Related Digital, selected the best equity partner from a competitive group of options, which in this instance was not Blue Owl. Final negotiations for their equity deal are moving forward on schedule and according to plan,” Oracle spokesperson Michael Egbert said in a statement.
The cloud company did not name the firm involved in current equity talks for the project.
CNBC has reached out to the FT for comment.
The FT said that Blackstone is in discussions to potentially replace Blue Owl Capital as a financial partner for the data center, although no deal has been signed yet.
Blue Owl Capital has been the primary investor in Oracle’s data center projects in the U.S., including a $15 billion center in Abilene, Texas, and an $18 billion site in New Mexico, the FT said.
“This appears to be a case where the deal simply wasn’t the right one, and seasoned investors understand that success does not require winning every transaction,” Evercore ISI analysts wrote in a note on Wednesday.
The bank added that digital infrastructure remains a “core growth vertical” for the Blue Owl, noting an upcoming digital infrastructure fund in 2026 that would add to its $7 billion fund announced in May.
Oracle has $248 billion in lease commitments for data centers and cloud capacity commitments over the next 15 to 19 years as of Nov. 30, the company said in its latest quarterly filing. That is up almost 148% from August.
In September, the cloud computing giant raised $18 billion in new debt, according to an SEC filing. That same month, OpenAI announced a $300 billion partnership with Oracle over the next five years.
By the end of November, the company owed over $124 billion, including operating lease liabilities, according to the filing.
Oracle shares are down about 50% from the high of $345.72 reached in September.
Read the full FT story here.
Year-to-date Oracle stock chart.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024