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We Asked Roblox’s C.E.O. About Child Safety. It Got Tense.
Episode 164

We Asked Roblox’s C.E.O. About Child Safety. It Got Tense.

This week the company announced that it would require users to undergo an A.I.-powered age estimation process in order to chat with others on the platform. Will this change reassure parents?

Hard Fork

November 21, 202540m 10s

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Show Notes

Roblox's popularity has exploded among kids since the pandemic. Today Roblox has more than 150 million daily active users, and functions as one of the primary online gathering places for preteens. But precisely because Roblox is so popular with children, it has also attracted the attention of adult predators.

This week we’re joined by Roblox chief executive David Baszucki for a conversation about how the company is responding to allegations that it has become unsafe for children, and the new measures the gaming platform says it’s now implementing to protect them.


Guests:

  • David Baszucki, chief executive of Roblox


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