Friends are now called “connections”
Roblox will roll out new age-based communication features that aim to improve safety for young players. However, the new features rely on age-verification tools like facial scans.
The Roblox platform is updating its friends feature into “connections” and “trusted connections,” the latter enabling users to have unfiltered conversations with each other.
To access the new “Trusted Connections” feature, users must confirm their age using Roblox’s new age verification tool. This process has users submit a video selfie of themselves, which is then “analyzed against a large and diverse dataset to estimate their age,” said Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer, in a blog post.
However, Roblox doesn’t actually do that age estimation. Instead, it’s handled by third-party identity company Persona. Shipping off video selfies of young people to another company might raise red flags over privacy and security for some, though Roblox said on its FAQ page that any uploaded photos or data are deleted after 30 days.
If a user cannot verify their age properly with the new tool, they can confirm it via ID verification.
In his blog post, Kaufman said users 13-17 who have gone through the verification process will be able to add each other and use the new “trusted connections” feature. Users over 18 will only be able to be added to trusted connections through an in-person QR code or by importing contacts on the Roblox app.
The new features come at an interesting time for online services. On one hand, Roblox has faced increasing scrutiny as adults use the platform to seek out children. We’ve also seen a rise in inappropriate user-generated content on Roblox that’s accessible to young users.
At the same time, several governments are pushing ahead with online age verification requirements. Reddit and Bluesky users in the U.K. now have to verify their ages to view mature content, with the rules put in place to comply with the country’s Online Safety Act. Meanwhile, around 40 per cent of Americans now live under some kind of age-verification law. Canada had its own law in the works in Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, which would have required social media services to implement age-appropriate design features. However, Bill C-63 died when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued parliament on January 6, 2025.
There are also concerns over the efficacy of age-verification technology. Studies, such as one from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and reporting from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), have found that the technology isn’t particularly accurate.
Header image credit: Roblox
Source: Roblox
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