Why Does Roblox Ask for Your Birthday? Keeping Kids Safe in the Metaverse
As a passionate gamer and content creator, I‘m fascinated by Roblox‘s rise as a global gaming and development platform. With over 200 million monthly users, much of the appeal lies in the freedom for anyone to build and share their own experiences.
But that also comes with responsibility—especially when many users are young kids. Roblox asks for birthdays to tailor age-appropriate defaults and comply with privacy laws protecting children online.
The Core Reason: Safeguarding Kids in an Open Metaverse
At its core, Roblox‘s birthday question aims to safeguard kids within an incredibly open, user-generated metaverse.
Without age gates, young children can access experiences ranging from innocent obby courses to darker horror worlds. By knowing users‘ ages, Roblox can steer younger users towards age-appropriate content.
"We want you to know that we take our community‘s safety and privacy seriously," says Roblox‘s Help Center.
Complying with COPPA: The Children‘s Privacy Law
Roblox must also comply with COPPA regulations on collecting data from children under 13.
COPPA requires parental consent for gathering kids‘ personal information. Verifying users‘ ages allows Roblox to manage this sensitive data properly.
| % of Roblox Users By Age |
|---|
| <9 years old |
| 9-12 years old |
With nearly half of Roblox‘s audience under age 13, COPPA compliance is crucial. Strictly following these laws helps Roblox build trust with parents.
Tailoring Defaults: Chat, Content, and Privacy
The key impact of supplying your birthday is allowing Roblox to tailor chat, content, and privacy defaults by age.
Chat and Content
- <13 year olds have the tightest filters restricting inappropriate vocabulary or mature themes.
- At 13, users gain more access but strict behavior rules remain.
Age-based content filtering helps create a metaverse suitable for all while protecting younger kids.
Privacy
- Under 13 profiles are fully private by default.
- Over 13 still cannot share personal contact information.
Age-based privacy controls like these limit risks like adults contacting children. Supplying an accurate birthday enables these safeguards for kids.
Building a Broad yet Safe Gaming Community
Fundamentally, Roblox inquires about users‘ ages to open up the platform to a vast age range while keeping protections in place for each group.
The result is a shared metaverse from kids as young as 5 into adulthood. Roblox strives to make that digital world safe yet socially fulfilling for all through age-appropriate tailoring.
Responsible Advocacy: Improving not Avoiding Protections
As an advocate for better protections, I understand the desire to bypass restrictions. However, I believe the ethical approach is partnering with platforms to enhance their systems, not exploit loopholes.
Rather than disabling safeguards, I think the best course is an open dialogue advocating measured improvements over time. Because at the end of the day, it comes back to prioritizing children‘s wellbeing in online spaces.
