Roblox halts in-game chat, boosts moderation amid Arabic version rollout
Roblox is making some big changes for users in the Middle East, mainly to keep kids safer online.
The platform has temporarily suspended its in-game chat and boosted moderation of Arabic content in countries including but not limited to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen.
These steps follow concerns after launching an Arabic version, which even led to bans in Kuwait, Qatar, and Turkey.
Selfie-based age check is now extended to voice chats
Roblox is now expanding its selfie-based age check to cover both text and voice chats—a move that matters since over a third of its 111 million daily users are under 13.
After facing criticism about keeping kids safe from predators (and some related arrests in the US), Roblox says it's working closely with Middle Eastern officials to meet local safety rules and cultural expectations.
The UAE's telecom authority confirmed these updates are happening together with Roblox.