Roblox has agreed to a $12 million settlement with Nevada to resolve claims related to child safety and exploitation on its platform, avoiding a trial. The deal includes funding for child support programs and new safety measures like enhanced age verification. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford hailed the agreement as a step toward safer online environments for children.
Roblox announced the settlement this week amid ongoing legal challenges from multiple states. The agreement allocates $10 million over three years to local children's programs, such as the Boys and Girls Club, and nondigital support groups. An additional $2.5 million will fund a law enforcement liaison position and online safety awareness campaigns, according to details of the deal with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford's office. Ford stated, 'this settlement will create a safer environment for our children online, and I hope that it will serve as a bellwether for how online interactive platforms allow our state's youth to use their products.' The company will introduce stricter safety protocols, including an age verification system using facial estimation combined with government-issued IDs. This will limit children to chatting only with players of similar ages. Users under 16 cannot message adults unless designated as a 'trusted friend' via QR code, ensuring prior relationships. Parental controls now extend to accounts up to age 16, up from 13 previously. Roblox will create dedicated children's accounts restricting adult content and featuring vetted games for younger players. These build on recent updates for Roblox Kids accounts, aimed at ages five to eight, and Roblox Select accounts for ages nine to 15, both with content and chat limits. Despite this resolution, Roblox faces ongoing lawsuits from states including Kentucky, Iowa, Louisiana, and Texas over allegations of facilitating child sexual exploitation.
