Roblox users must now prove they are over 13 for safety reasons, but reports say the new system isn’t working right. The ages of users are being misclassified because of technical issues, and the changes have made the platform’s developers very angry.
Roblox verification has a lot of technical problems
Last week, Roblox rolled out its mandatory age verification system. Users who want to use the chat features must either send in a selfie for facial age estimation or, if they are 13 or older, upload a government ID.
The goal is to limit communication to groups of people who are the right age. This step is a direct response to rising legal and safety concerns. But there have been problems with the rollout of the system.
Several reports say that it is misclassifying both adults and children. Once, a 23-year-old user was thought to be between 16 and 17 years old. On the other hand, kids have found ways to get around the protections.
Some young people have been able to trick the facial estimation tool. Some ways are to draw facial hair and wrinkles on their faces or even hold up a picture of an adult. Roblox said some parents verified their kids, putting them in the 21+ category.
Roblox has to deal with bigger platform issues
The problems go beyond misclassifying users and are affecting the platform’s social ecosystem. Developers on Roblox are very unhappy, and there are thousands of negative comments on official forums. Many individuals desire a complete change of the update.
One big worry is how the system will affect how people use it. A developer shared information showing that the number of players who used the in-game chat feature dropped from about 90% to 36.5% after the update was released.
Some creators have said that their virtual worlds feel “lifeless” because of this sudden drop. Roblox has a lot on the line. The company is trying to make the platform safer, especially for younger users, while still keeping the social experience at its heart.
A significant factor in Roblox’s future will be the manner in which it addresses these early technical difficulties and the feedback it receives from users.
Disclaimer: This article draws its events and information from an investigative report by Wired magazine. Engadget later wrote a summary of this news. This document is a journalistic summary of the reports that were given.
