The challenge of online child protection: Roblox and Grok change course as regulatory pressure increases

When Online Child Safety Becomes a Dilemma Between Protection and Privacy

The international debate on minors' safety on digital platforms is accelerating, with governments and tech companies grappling with a complex issue: how to protect young users without compromising privacy? In response to this growing pressure, companies are adopting radically different strategies, creating a mosaic of solutions that generate both enthusiasm and concern among activists and users.

Platform Moves: Between Age Verification and Controversies

Roblox has introduced a new mandatory identity verification process, requiring its younger users to pass facial recognition estimates or upload photographic documents to continue accessing chat features. The initiative aims to ensure that minors communicate only with peers of a similar age group. According to reports, over half of the platform's active users have completed the process; however, some have reported being misclassified and consequently blocked from conversations.

Meta has taken a slightly different approach on Instagram: teenage profiles now undergo automatic filters that prevent them from viewing content rated PG-13 or higher. The company claims that this integrated approach offers a more age-appropriate experience and includes measures dedicated to protecting personal data.

When Creativity Freedom Meets Responsibility Limits

Grok, the image generation platform, has drastically limited access to its visual creation feature to paying subscribers only. This decision came after the security team faced criticism for generating images containing representations of real people, including minors, in problematic poses. The platform owner stated that anyone using the service to produce illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illicit material online.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is modifying ChatGPT's behavior when interacting with underage users, while other platforms continue to refine their content filters.

Digital Rights Activists' Resistance

Not everyone welcomes these measures positively. Organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have expressed strong concerns about the underlying technologies—biometric scans, behavioral analysis, identity verification—calling them threats to the fundamental principles of an open internet. According to the EFF, “Such restrictive requirements risk undermining the values of freedom and openness that characterize the web.”

Particularly controversial is the fact that companies like Persona and Yoti, responsible for age verification, must handle enormous amounts of biometric and photographic data. Although both claim to delete such data within 30 days, the mere collection of it raises significant alarm among privacy advocates.

The Global Context: From Australian Restrictions to American Proposals

The phenomenon is not isolated to the American context. The Prime Minister of New Zealand has proposed a restriction that would prevent minors under 16 from fully accessing social media, while Australia has already implemented significant limits for younger teenagers. In the United States, lawmakers are actively debating new regulations on digital safety for youth, and over 50% of American states have already enacted laws requiring some form of age verification on platforms.

Economic and Regulatory Impact on Companies

These changes have concrete financial and legal consequences for tech companies. They must contract specialized verification providers, navigate complex regulatory compliance, and manage the risk of misclassification and incorrect data handling. The situation remains in flux, with new regulations potentially emerging from various jurisdictions in the near future.

The real challenge lies in finding a balance: protecting children online without turning the internet into a surveilled and potentially oppressive space.