Categories: The Verge

New York wants to regulate Roblox

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is making kids’ online safety a cornerstone of her administration, and she’s eyeing a platform that has often flown under the radar: Roblox.

As progress in Congress has stagnated, states have become the primary drivers of internet reforms meant to protect kids, including age verification laws and new requirements for online platforms. Hochul announced a sweeping plan

Roblox will require a facial scan or government ID to have unfiltered chats

Roblox is introducing a way to let trusted friends chat more freely among themselves, but it will require that they use a new age estimation tool to verify that they’re over 13. The platform is renaming Friends to Connections, and people can only use unfiltered text chat and the Party…

July 17, 2025

In "The Verge"

Let me see some ID: age verification is spreading across the internet

Age verification is a reality on a growing number of social media platforms, requiring an ID or facial scan for full access to everything from YouTube to Roblox. The age-gating wave is coming along with calls for stronger child safety measures online, despite concerns about privacy, security, and censorship. In…

February 24, 2026

In "The Verge"

Roblox’s New Safety Features Include an AI That Will Guess Your Age Based on a Video Selfie

Roblox has announced a new range of safety features directed specifically at teenagers ages 13-17, including a new age estimation technology that uses AI to guess a user's age based on a video selfie they submit. Today's announcement reveals several new features being implemented in Roblox that the company claims…

July 17, 2025

In "IGN"

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