Roblox is rolling out an age-gated “Trusted Connections” feature that lets users aged 13 and older exchange largely unfiltered text and voice messages with real-life friends. To unlock the service, players must confirm their age either by submitting a brief facial-scan video or uploading a government-issued ID. The system relies on third-party provider Persona and, according to the company, deletes biometric data after 30 days. Teens can add adults as trusted contacts only through QR codes or phone-contact matching performed in person, and chats will still be monitored for signs of predatory behaviour or other serious harm. The move underscores Roblox’s effort to reassure parents and regulators after repeated criticism over inappropriate content on the platform, whose daily active users rose 26 % to 97.8 million in the first quarter. The company says tighter verification should keep more conversations on Roblox, where it can apply its own safeguards, rather than driving teens to less-regulated apps. Meta Platforms, meanwhile, announced a new package of protections for teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook. The company said it has already taken down nearly 135,000 Instagram profiles this year for leaving sexualised comments or requesting images from accounts featuring children under 13, and deleted a further 500,000 linked profiles across both services. In total, Meta identified more than 600,000 accounts tied to predatory behaviour. Under the updated policy, teens now see warnings about unknown contacts, can block and report suspicious users in a single step and receive prominent safety tips inside direct messages. Adult-managed accounts representing children will automatically shift to the strictest messaging and comment filters and will no longer be recommended to accounts previously blocked by teens. Both companies are responding to intensifying political scrutiny. U.S. lawmakers have reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act, which would impose a legal “duty of care” on social-media platforms to shield minors from exploitation and harmful content. By tightening age checks and surfacing new safety controls, Roblox and Meta aim to pre-empt further regulation while retaining their vast adolescent user bases.