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Roblox, a gaming platform used by many children, agreed to a settlement with Nevada that includes enhanced protections for minors and payments exceeding $12 million to the state, according to Nevada officials. The announcement came as prosecutors and lawmakers across the country have focused increasing scrutiny on how online platforms engage young users.
Attorney General Aaron Ford said the agreement would create a “safer environment for our children online,” and he characterized it as a “bellwether” for how interactive platforms can help young people use their services. Ford also said Roblox would provide $10 million over three years to support programs such as the Boys & Girls Club and other nondigital activities.
Ford said the settlement also includes funding for an additional law enforcement liaison position intended to respond to safety concerns related to the platform. He also said Roblox would fund an online safety awareness campaign aimed at educating about the risks associated with interacting online.
Under the agreement, Roblox said it would implement protections focused on minors who use the app. Those changes include requiring age verification for all users and restricting nighttime notifications for minors, Ford said, along with other safeguards designed to reduce exposure to safety risks.
Roblox also agreed to use facial age estimation technology to help limit younger users’ chat access to those in similar age groups, Ford said. He added that adult users and users under 16 would not be allowed to chat unless they were communicating with a “trusted friend,” which the state said can be added through a QR code or the user’s phone contacts.
The deal further calls for monitoring to determine whether a user lied about their age, Ford said. Roblox will also create kids accounts for users under 16 that block access to adult-rated content and provide games vetted as suitable, and the settlement will expand parental oversight for those users.
Donch’e King, supervising criminal investigator in Ford’s office, said predatory contact is a persistent risk for children online. King said “half a million online predators pursue children at any given moment,” adding that much of the predatory contact occurs through chat rooms and instant messaging, and he urged parents to speak frankly with their children about the platforms they use and to report concerns to law enforcement.
Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said the company worked with Ford to reach what he called a landmark agreement. In a statement, Kaufman said the settlement “builds on our work to establish a new standard for digital safety,” and he said it creates a blueprint for collaboration between industry and regulators on child protections online.
The Nevada settlement comes as lawsuits targeting social media companies have advanced in several states. The AP report cited findings in California and New Mexico in which social media companies were found liable for designing platforms to “hook young users,” and Ford said lawsuits against other companies are pending, including cases involving Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Kik.