In recent years, ‘Roblox’, one of the most popular online gaming platforms, has come under scrutiny over child safety concerns.
Several countries, including China, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, and North Korea, have blocked Roblox primarily due to concerns related to child safety, inappropriate content, and data security.
In response to growing concerns, video game platform Roblox on Monday introduced customized accounts for young users to boost online safety as it deals with intense global scrutiny over concerns of child endangerment.
Through the company’s age-verification system or parental verification, Roblox will assign users ages 5 to 8 to “Roblox Kids” accounts and users ages 9 to 15 to “Roblox Select” accounts.
As mentioned, these age-restricted accounts will go live in early June.
“Additionally, we will also introduce new requirements to meet content standards for displaying content or games in a Roblox Kids account or Roblox Select account,” Chief Security Officer Matt Kauffman said in a press briefing.
Over the past few years, Roblox has faced heavy criticism from governments around the world over allegations of failure to protect children from sexual predators and exploitation.
Games that appear on “Roblox Kids” accounts will be limited based on maturity level and will undergo a “rigorous three-step review process” with strict eligibility requirements for creators, Kaufman said.
The chat feature is turned off by default for “Kids” accounts but is gradually turned on for “Select” accounts depending on age.
As part of the three-step review process, the gaming platform will require developers to verify their ID, enable two-step verification, and maintain an active ‘Roblox Plus’ membership.
Roblox recently announced that it will launch a subscription plan for its users starting April 30.
Additionally, the newly introduced subscription plan will cost $4.99 per month and include discounts on in-game items and avatars as well as platform benefits.
