Roblox, a popular gaming platform used by nearly half of U.S. children under 16, has agreed to pay more than $12 million to the state of Nevada and implement increased protections for young users as part of a settlement with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.
Key Takeaways
Roblox has agreed to pay over $12 million to Nevada as part of a settlement that includes enhanced protections for young users on its platform. The agreement mandates age verification and restrictions on nighttime notifications for minors.
- Roblox will pay $10 million to support non-digital youth programs in Nevada
- An additional $2.5 million will fund an online safety awareness campaign
- The company will implement facial age-estimation technology and stricter parental controls
- Adults must have a 'trusted friend' label with parental consent before chatting with users under 13
- Roblox disputes the claims but is pleased to reach the settlement
The settlement includes Roblox paying $10 million over three years to support programs like the Boys & Girls Club and other non-digital activities. Additionally, the company will allocate $2.5 million for an online safety awareness campaign and fund a law enforcement liaison position to respond to safety concerns about the platform.
The agreement mandates enhanced protections for minors using the app, such as requiring age verification for all users and restricting nighttime notifications for minors. Roblox will implement facial age-estimation technology to limit younger users' chats to those in similar age groups. Adult users and users under 16 will not be allowed to chat unless they are communicating with a trusted friend, who can be added through a QR code or their phone contacts.
As part of the settlement, Roblox will also use government-issued ID for age assurance and behavioral monitoring to identify users who may have been assigned the wrong age. The company will include tighter controls for parents and a ban on encrypted messaging involving minors. If a parent account isn't linked to a child account, the latter will be limited to a restricted child mode.
The settlement comes as prosecutors have filed lawsuits against social media companies over their role in children's lives. Last month, social media companies like Meta and YouTube were found liable for designing their platforms to hook young users and were ordered to pay over $375 million in penalties. Ford also has lawsuits pending against several other social media platforms.
Roblox will create kids' accounts for users under 16 that block access to adult-rated content and provide games vetted for suitability. The agreement also expands parental oversight to users under 16, which was previously available only for users under 13. Donch'e King, supervising criminal investigator at the attorney general's office, emphasized the importance of protecting children from online predators.
Roblox disputes the claims in the complaint but is pleased to have reached a settlement with Ford, stating it reflects the company's continued commitment to fostering online health and safety for kids. The agreement helped shape several safety measures, including two new age-based accounts: Roblox Kids for users between the ages of 5 and 8 and Roblox Select for users ages 9 to 15.
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