Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki appeared on The New York Times’ Hard Fork podcast to talk about the platform’s new age verification feature, but the conversation quickly shifted into a heated back-and-forth about child safety.
Baszucki started by explaining Roblox’s new policy:
Users who want to access the platform’s messaging features will now need to submit a face scan for verification.
However, when hosts pressed him about reports claiming the company previously prioritized growth over safety, Baszucki’s tone changed.
He responded sarcastically, saying, “Fun. Let’s keep going down this.”
At another point, after co-host Kevin Roose suggested that improving AI models could help protect children, Baszucki replied, “Good, so you’re aligning with what we did. High-five.”
He then expressed frustration, adding that he came on the show to discuss a wide range of topics, not just child safety.
“If our PR people said, ‘Let’s talk about age-gating for an hour,’ I’m up for it,” he said. “But I thought I came here to talk about everything.”
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The exchange highlights ongoing tension between Roblox and critics who believe the platform still has more to do to protect its young users.
