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Social media ban in Australia for those under 16
A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Parliament on Friday in a world-first law.
The gaming platform Roblox, known for hosting user-created games in virtual worlds, is stepping up its age verification system and rules for users who want to privately message other players.
The moves come as the popular gaming platform continues to face criticism and lawsuits over child safety and a growing number of states and countries are implementing age verification laws.
The company had previously announced the age estimation tool, which is provided by a company called Persona, in July.
Roblox requires age verification
Big picture view:
The new feature will require players to take a video selfie that will be used to estimate their age. Roblox says the videos are deleted after the age check is processed. Users are not required to submit a face scan to use the platform, only if they want to chat with other users.
The Roblox app on a smartphone arranged in New York, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Roblox Corp. released earnings figures on November 8. (Credit: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The feature was designed so that kids, teens and adults will only be able to message people around their own age. After users go through the age checks, they will be assigned to age groups ranging from under nine, nine to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20 and over 21. Users will then be able to chat with their age group or similar age groups, depending on their age and the type of chat.
Roblox doesn’t allow kids under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission — and unlike different platforms, it does not encrypt private chat conversations, so it can monitor and moderate them.
What they're saying:
While some experts have expressed caution about the reliability of facial age estimation tools, Matt Kaufman, the chief safety officer at Roblox, said that between the ages of about five to 25, the system can accurately estimate a person’s age within one or two years.
"But of course, there’s always people who may be well outside of a traditional bell curve. And in those cases, if you disagree with the estimate that comes back, then you can provide an ID or use parental consent in order to correct that," he said.
When will Roblox age verification start?
What's next:
Roblox said it will start enforcing age checks in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in the first week of December and the rest of the world in early January.
The backstory:
A growing number of tech companies are implementing verification systems to comply with regulations or ward off criticism that they are not protecting children.
This includes Google, which recently started testing a new age-verification system for YouTube that relies on AI to differentiate between adults and minors based on their watch histories. Instagram is also testing an AI system to determine if kids are lying about their ages.
This news also comes just a few months after Roblox’s CEO, David Baszucki said that someday dating will become available on the platform for users who are 21 and older and ID verified.
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According to Baszucki, this would allow users to go on dates with other users they’ve met in the metaverse, which could result in real-life relationships.
"I think a lot of people who are too afraid to go on a real-life date might find it easier to have a virtual date to start, and then if they connect, move to the physical world," Baszucki said.
He added, "In a wellness platform, I think of it as a platform to help loneliness and help bring connection."
The Source: The Associated Press, previous FOX Local reporting, Tech Stuff podcast contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.