Roblox CEO wants to add an in-game dating feature, despite 40% of players being under 13yrs old

Roblox CEO David Baszucki said during a recent podcast that Roblox is more than just a game, it's a "wellness platform" that players who are lonely and disconnected from the world can find other people on Roblox. By extension, Baszucki said that "some day we'll have dating on Roblox".

2

40% of Roblox's player base consists of users under the age of 13, and to further illustrate how the title has attracted a large portion of children, it has faced allegation in the past for being a platform used to groom minors. For example, one pedophile groomed, abducted and sexually assaulted one 15-year-old girl through Roblox.

Now, the context of which Baszucki was suggesting Roblox eventually integrating a dating feature is the CEO discussing the wider impact of Roblox as a platform, where he said that Roblox is more than a gaming platform it's a "wellness platform" where players disconnected in real-life can find other disconnected players.

"Young people who have gotten disconnected at school, young people who are going through a mental health crisis, young people who are going through something. Finding people on Roblox to connect with... I mean it sounds gratuitous for me to say it but parents say 'my kid is alive because they found people on Roblox,'" said Baszucki

"So I think there's a loneliness epidemic going on in the world, I think I'll go out on a limb and I'll say for, in quotes, '21 and up, ID verified, opted-in [users]' some day we'll have dating on Roblox and I think a lot of people who might be afraid to go on a real-life date might find it easier to have a virtual date to start and then, if they connect, move to the physical world. A wellness platform... I think of as a platform to help loneliness and bring connection."

Baszucki says that if dating does come to Roblox it will be for users 21 year old users and above. Ages of players will be verified through identification, and it will be an opt-in feature. However, the big question is how Roblox is going to be able to verify every single user's age is authentic, while also solving the problem of any potential child grooming.