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Roblox, the online gaming platform popular with millions of children and teenagers, is rolling out its age verification technology to India. Starting January 14, players in India will have to complete an age check to chat with others on the platform. The company says Roblox is the first large online gaming platform in the country for users across all age groups to require age verification.
In November last year, Roblox started rolling out its age verification in a phased manner in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. To date, the company says more than 50% of daily active users have completed the age check.
Once Roblox players go through the age check process, they will be assigned to one of the six age groups: under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21 plus. By default, users in these respective age groups can interact with players in the groups above or below them. For example, a player in the 9-12 years age group will be able to chat with players under 9 and those between 13 and 15 years of age. The platform says it has also turned off chat for those under 9 years, but they can take consent of a parent to enable chat after the age check.
According to a report by USA TodayRoblox claims its face scan algorithm can predict age within two years of accuracy for users between 5 and 25 and that it is most accurate for younger users. It goes on to say that the algorithms are based on physiological changes which happen when growing up, and because younger people grow faster, the algorithm is more accurate.
In August last year, Roblox started rolling out an open-source version of an AI system, which it says can pre-emptively detect predatory language in chats. The move comes after a lawsuit filed in Iowa, USA, alleging that a 13-year-old-girl was introduced to an adult predator on Roblox, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped.
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