Roblox defends expanded age‑checks after parents raise concerns over errors

Roblox defends expanded age‑checks after parents raise concerns over errors14 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleShiona McCallumSenior Tech Reporter Bloomberg via Getty ImagesRoblox has defended a major expansion of its child safety system, despite complaints from parents that the game's user-age estimation can misclassify children and put them into less-protected versions of the service.The gaming company, which says it has 144 million daily users worldwide, is extending its tech to introduce age‑specific accounts called Roblox Kids and Roblox Select. A user's estimated age will now determine the version and individual features of Roblox they can access, what content they see and who they can communicate with.Parents told the BBC some children have been incorrectly identified as adults during the age‑check process, which they say can reduce parental controls.A simple questionIn an interview with BBC News, Matt Kaufman, Roblox's chief safety officer, said the company's age‑estimation system, which includes facial analysis, is now used by more than half of its daily users, amounting to tens of millions of people worldwide.He said it typically estimates age "within about 1.4 years, plus or minus" for those under 18.Roblox has not published data showing how often children are incorrectly classified as older users, but Kaufman argued the technology is more reliable than asking users to state their age themselves."When you ask them that simple question," he said, "users are going to tell you whatever they want to tell you in order to get access."Age-rated accountsRoblox already requires users to pass an age check before they can use chat features, placing people into age bands intended to limit communication between children, teenagers and adults. The company says this is designed to reduce the risk of grooming and unwanted contact on the platform.The new system extends that approach into account types: Roblox...