• by Colin Kirkland , 3 hours ago

Days after Roblox announced the rollout of its global AI-powered age-verification system, the social gaming company is under fire from players, developers and child safety experts for disrupting the in-app chat feature while failing to properly protect children from predators, according to multiple reports. 

Starting last week, Roblox issued a statement explaining that in order to access communication features within the platform, users would need to allow the app to access their camera, then complete step-by-step facial verification. 

The decision to enforce artificial intelligence (AI)-powered age checks came in response to a series of lawsuits and mounting reports citing Roblox’s alleged failure to implement basic safety controls, with adults posing as children and preying on underage users in sexually explicit in-game experiences.  

However, on Tuesday, Wired released an article highlighting newfound complaints about Roblox’s new age-checking system, with players and developers calling for a major rollback of the update. 

Although Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman informed the publication that the company was happy with the “tens of millions of users” having already verified their age, thousands of developers have taken to the dedicated Roblox developer forum to complain.

One user attached a screenshot of someone advertising age-verified accounts for minors for $4.45. “It seems like a pretty obvious & dangerous way to bypass the age checks,” the developer stated, adding that ads like these enable “bad actors to target a specific group more easily.”

Wired discovered examples of similar ads for minors being sold on eBay as well, citing an eBay spokesperson who said the company was in the process of removing the listings for violating the site’s policies. 

Other cited instances of the flaws in the verification system involve players being placed in the incorrect age categories, including a 23-year-old who was misidentified by the AI system as a 16- to-17-year-old. 

It seems that the system has also been easy to bypass, with one underage player drawing wrinkles and a beard on their face and another player showing a picture of Kurt Cobain instead to be categorized as 21+.

Roblox posted in its “Creator Hub” forum, warning users that some children had been placed in the adult category because their parents provided an age check for them. 

However, according to Kaufman, the company is focused on improving the verification system, stating that with 150 million daily active users, “it’s a process that will take time.”

“We are building for the next decade of the internet, not the next news cycle,” Kaufman added.

“Roblox may periodically recheck users’ age if fraud is suspected or take appropriate action if there we see signs of potential age misrepresentation,” reads a recent statement issued by the gaming giant. “As part of our ongoing investment in safety, we will also be developing and improving detection for such behavior.”

Taking measures to protect younger users on its platform comes as player and brand engagement reach all-time highs. 

More advertisers than ever are now dependent on Roblox’s ability to protect its underage users, as over 600 brand games and campaigns were launched on the platform in 2025 – up from 400 branded experiences launched the previous year.