‘We’re watching’: Alabama and Roblox reach settlement over online child safety | #childsafety | #kids | #chldern | #parents | #schoolsafey

After months of negotiations, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the state reached a settlement with Roblox regarding children’s online safety in a press conference on April 21. The settlement includes $12.2 million and several terms of agreement.

“I am extremely proud of the work of this office in securing a settlement that ensures that Alabama’s kids have a safer opportunity to be able to engage in the Roblox platform but also sends a message to others who likewise offer opportunities for children to be online,” Marshall said. “That is: we’re watching, we have no tolerance for child exploitation, and we will take action and deliver results when we see that Alabama’s children are engaged in vulnerable activity.”

The settlement includes terms aimed at keeping children safe on Roblox. All users will have to verify they are over 16 using facial age recognition or their ID before using chat features or accessing potentially age-inappropriate content. The settlement ensures Roblox will not store information from the age verification process.

Going forward, the platform will expand parental controls, including managing and viewing children’s accounts. Parents and guardians will be able to decide who their children may talk to, what games they can play and who they can transfer in-game currency to and from. Adult users will be unable to chat with users under 16 unless they are listed as “trusted friends.” Users under 13 need parental consent to add trusted friends, while users between 13 and 15 can add trusted friends via QR code or phone contact importer. Also, chats involving minors will never be encrypted, which will make it easier for law enforcement to combat child exploitation.

Roblox will have a regional liaison in Alabama to help the state with online safety issues. The company will also assist in training law enforcement and provide tools regarding online safety risks to parents and guardians. Roblox will be required to file reports with the attorney general’s office identifying potential safety issues and how they will correct them.

According to Chief Counsel Katherine Robertson, these terms of agreement were a major focus of the attorney general’s office.

“We really wanted to make sure that the terms of the agreement are the heart of what we’re doing here, and I think that what we’ve got is good,” Robertson said. “I hope that some parents may see this press conference online because we want you to take advantage of the tools that this agreement provides.”

According to Marshall, the attorney general’s office estimates that around 100,000 Roblox users are over the age of 16. Robertson said the attorney general’s office pursued action against Roblox because previous legislation on age verification in apps did not address the platform.

The money from the settlement will go to the Safe School Initiative Fund, according to Marshall. The fund will go to school resource officers throughout the state, whom Marshall highlighted as important for students’ safety and mental health.

“It’s over my tenure as attorney general and even back to my time as a prosecutor, I’ve developed a very special relationship and even a deeper appreciation of our school resource officers,” Marshall said. “I can think of no more tangible way to serve our youth than to have boots on the ground in our schools.”

The settlement has a “most favored nation” clause, which means Alabama will also benefit from improved terms in future settlements. Marshall said the clause was included to ensure Alabama is not disadvantaged because of settling before other states.

Alabama is one of the first states to reach a settlement with the company regarding children’s online safety. Marshall hopes the settlement will pave the way for other states to reach similar settlements.

“We also think that we have created a framework that can be mirrored by states across the country that will not only protect Alabama’s children but America’s kids,” Marshall said.

Parents, guardians and law enforcement agencies who have concerns with Roblox online can reach out to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office at Roblox@AlabamaAG.Gov. The settlement agreement can be read here.