Following previous discussions on the matter,Robloxconfirms that it will expand into officially supporting online dating. This is part of a move to extend its playerbase into older age groups, moving away from the largely underage fanbase it has become known for over the years.
The move, however, has quickly attracted controversy. Not only do some feel that Roblox is a poor service to host internet dating - given previous reports into grooming on the platform - but also for allowing 17-year-olds to participate. This is a lower age restriction than other dating sites, which almost exclusively ban anyone under 18 from signing up.
Related:Nintendo Leaving Tears of The Kingdom Behind Is For The Best
The announcement was made as part of a presentation on Roblox’s future, as covered byThe Verge. In its list of ways it predicts the platform will grow, CEO David Baszuckim says, “Thousands of adults will meet for the first time in Roblox dating experiences and subsequently form real-life relationships.” He says this will be gated off to accounts that are verified to belong to players aged 17 and above.
Since this could hypothetically result in someone well into adulthood using an officially supported aspect of Roblox to meet a high schooler, it’s not going down well with the general public. Many online question the dating experience’s safety, and doubt Roblox’s ability to moderate the service.
These fears are hardly ill-founded. Over the past few years, there have been constant headlines of adults using Roblox to prey on children online. Last year, a high-profile case saw a33-year-old arrested and charged with kidnapping and assaulting a 13-year-old he met on Roblox, prompting renewed concerns over the service’s moderation. Roblox defended itself at the time, saying that in-game chat features were “incredibly limited” and “heavily filtered." It added that it works “tirelessly to prevent grooming” on the platform.
Given how recent these complaints are, it’s easy to see why many are concerned that Roblox is ill-equipt to manage a service that advertises the ability to form a real-life relationship - especially when it’s opening that opportunity to those who are still legally minors.
Admittedly, there is a verification process to go through to get an account that could use services such as this. You have to upload a legal form of ID as well as a selfie, making it harder for younger minors to get onto these dating experiences.
However, that may not be effective against other methods alleged predators have used to prey on younger users. In 2021, it was claimed that anunderage Roblox developer was receiving inappropriate messages from another, adult creator. His account was banned after screenshots of their messages were shared with Roblox.
