Roblox's age verification checks are "unpopular," but Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman says they're worth the cost

I wouldn’t want to be a Roblox developer right now. Constantly forced to straddle the line of mandatory security and fun, the platform’s diverse player demographic is both the reason its so successful, but also one of its biggest headaches. We’ve seen new age verification restrictions enforced as a result of internet safety laws coming into place in various countries – that went down like the proverbial lead balloon. Now, in order to publish games on the platform, your account has to match certain criteria. It’s a move that’s fanned the already blossoming flames, but one that Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman says is worth the “cost.”

It doesn’t help that these improved safety measures dropped just days after Roblox Plus was announced, with the new subscription service replacing its Premium counterpart entirely. It’s arguably better value for money, but given you need to have it to publish games for younger players, for some, it’s simply another inconvenience.

In a Thursday, April 16 AMA, one player highlights the negative sentiment around the age verification and publishing changes, noting that Roblox’s “no compromise” approach and lack of “reception to feedback” may hurt the sandbox game in the long term.

“Is Roblox aware of the impact it may face on the current platform and it’s [sic] future ambitions if developers and influencers continue to be growingly frustrated with the platform?” they write. “If so, why has Roblox continued to make zero concessions with their least popular changes despite the overwhelming feedback and increasing frustration?”

In response, Kaufman acknowledges that the changes have been “unpopular,” but states: “We’ve heard loudly from parents and policymakers that they need stronger assurances about the content available to our youngest users, and we take that just as seriously as we take feedback from creators and influencers. We’re thinking about how to balance that freedom of creativity and the joy that comes with building really anything. How do we balance that with making sure that the content that’s accessible to our youngest users and young teens is age-appropriate?

“On age checks specifically: we understand it’s unpopular. But the honest reality is that the cost of not acting is greater than the friction of acting,” he continues. “Without these requirements, Roblox risks losing access in entire regions, which means fewer players, smaller audiences, and less opportunity for every creator and influencer building on this platform. Some Roblox everywhere is better than full Roblox nowhere.

“Roblox today is not the platform it was five, ten, almost twenty years ago. There are more responsibilities that come with our scale, yes, but there are also exponentially more opportunities to build a real business, reach a global audience, and access more power tools than ever before.”

Just yesterday, Roblox settled a proposed lawsuit from the state of Nevada, where Attorney General Aaron Ford planned to sue the company over its lack of security features. The case was settled for $10 million, with that money going towards children’s programs. An extra $2.5 million will be used to push forward an online awareness campaign.

Safety on the platform is a clear talking point, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. A part of me is slightly shocked that security measures like this weren’t included from the get-go, but equally, I doubt the developers ever expected Roblox to explode in the way that it has and, subsequently, attract bad actors.

The proposed changes to game publishing are set to roll out in June, and while you’ll still be able to create games on the platform without Roblox Plus, they’ll only be visible to an audience aged 16 and older.