"In 2016, I presented at @Roblox Indie Game Developer Meetup about design strategy as an indie developer. Back then, I had no idea children as young as 5 were interacting with random adults on their platform. Today, the same company (NYSE: $RBLX) is filled with poorly moderated "games" like Bathroom Simulator and worse - all while letting adults animate their avatars for sexual role play."
"💡 To me, Roblox represents what happens when a publicly-traded corporation is incentivised to prioritize adult wallets over child safety! And it's not just them - too many platforms still rely on outdated email/SIM logins that completely ignore age verification. 👨💻 In contrast, on my own marketplace app - Sprocket (a peer-to-peer bicycle platform) - I've spent years doing the opposite: * Proactively blocking under-18 users ( its explicit in the TOS/PP )"
"As new child safety laws roll out worldwide in 2025-2026, small developers like me are leading the charge - finding a balance between protecting kids, respecting privacy, and still fostering innovation. Because for too long we've coasted without robust internet authentication, and even if you disagree with governments eroding online privacy, we still need robust infrastructure that prevents the equivalent of kindergartners being able to walk into the equivalent of digital bars that serve alcohol and visa versa 🍺"
Roblox allows children as young as five to interact with random adults, and hosts poorly moderated games and adult-oriented avatar sexual role play. Publicly traded platform incentives can prioritize adult spending over child safety, while many platforms rely on weak email/SIM logins that fail age verification. Sprocket, a peer-to-peer bicycle marketplace, proactively blocks under-18 users and works directly with Apple to improve developer systems. Sprocket advocates Apple Wallet ID and AI-driven age-detecting/gating, and pushes for per-US-state distribution controls to comply with child-protection laws. Small developers are implementing solutions balancing child protection, privacy, and innovation ahead of new 2025–2026 laws.
Read at Medium
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