Roblox Launches New Age Verification System

Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) shares hiked Thursday, on word of the company was starting age-verification technology Thursday for users who want to chat more freely on the social-gaming platform as part of its new “trusted connections” feature.Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said that the company felt it was the right time to implement age-estimation software to coincide with “features that we really believe are something that should be limited to an older audience — 13 and over.”The company’s use of age-screening tech, provided by the identity verification company Persona, comes as several states, like Utah, have established age-verification laws requiring app store owners like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to verify the age of their users.Social media companies like Meta (NASDAQ:META), X and Snap (NYSE:SNAP) contend that app store operators should be tasked with verifying people’s ages, while Apple and Google have argued otherwise.Roblox’s use of age-estimation tech will help the company “confirm the age of our users and give them more tailored and age-appropriate features,” said Product Manager Ryan Ebanks.The company added potential users between the ages of 13 and 17 must use a QR scan or Roblox’s contact importer tool to add other users they know in real life who are over the age of 18 as trusted connections.Kaufman said that up until now, all private messages have been filtered to block profanity and things that are “inappropriate for a platform of all ages.”RBLX shares zoomed $1.59, or 1.3%, to $120.61.