Roblox kicked off 2026 by attempting to deal with its most pressing issue: Predators taking advantage of kids playing and socializing on the video game platform. Last week, the company rolled out AI-powered age checks provided by third-party processor Persona for all of its users in order to place them in age-appropriate chats. The age verification process is mandatory if users want to chat on the platform.
Unfortunately, according to a new report from Wired, there have been some real issues with the age verification system, and the result has led to backlash among users, parents, and Roblox developers alike.
However, in a statement to Mashable, Roblox said it was pleased with the implementation of the new AI age verification system so far.
“To suggest that our age check technology isn’t working is a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to shift safety at scale,” said Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman in a statement to Mashable. “With a global community of over 150 million daily active users, we are pleased with where we are in the roll out process…Expecting the system to be flawless overnight is ignoring the scale of this undertaking.”
What’s going on?
As mentioned, in order to utilize the chat features on Roblox, users are now required to verify their age. To do so, Roblox users need to either upload a selfie for facial age estimation or provide a government-issued ID. Based on a user’s age, Roblox then places the account in a specific age group category in order to help ensure that adults and children can’t interact on the platform.
Roblox: A parent’s guide to keeping your kids safe
However, just a week into the rollout of the age verification system, Wired has found that the AI has been making significant mistakes to the detriment of the platform. The report details how users over the age of 18 are being mistakenly labeled as kids and placed in the wrong age group category. The reverse has occurred as well, with users under 18 being placed in adult age groups.
“ROBLOX AGE FACE SCAN VERIFICATION SAID MY 10 YEAR OLD LITTLE BROTHER WAS 16-17????” posted one user on X.
Mashable Light Speed
“I’m 23 (nearly 24) and it’s forced me as a 16-17 year old,” said another user on X. “I don’t want to be chatting with fucking children.”
Users under 18 have also posted videos of how they’ve tricked Roblox’s age verification system.
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One user posted a video of a 3D animated avatar they uploaded, which Roblox’s system identified as over 18. Another user, a young boy, posted a video of themselves fooling the Roblox’ age verification system by drawing a mustache and beard on his face with a marker. The system indicated that it thought he was over the age of 21.
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And in a dark twist, Wired found that there was a black market growing on eBay where sellers were auctioning off Roblox accounts that were already age-verified, providing potential predators with yet another workaround to the system.
Roblox game developers have also complained that the age verification system is hurting their games by decimating their chat activity. One developer shared an analytics screenshot that showed chat activity on their game declining by an average of 50 percent over the last week.
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Roblox is extremely popular with young children and teens. The company has previously said that half of the U.S. population under the age of 16 is on the platform. Because of this, predators have targeted the platform’s user base and, as a result, Roblox has been hit with a number of lawsuits regarding child safety over the past year. For the good of both the user base and the platform, it’s critical that Roblox gets this right.
Roblox’s creator forum has since been filled with complaints regarding the new age verification system. The company responded with its own post on the forum about how it will address some of the issues.
“Roblox may periodically re-check users’ age if fraud is suspected or take appropriate action if there we see signs of potential age misrepresentation,” Roblox said in a post. “As part of our ongoing investment in safety, we will also be developing and improving detection for such behavior.”
Roblox also added an update to share privacy details regarding the age verification process. For example, Roblox says Persona does not retain any data and deletes a user’s image as soon as the age verification process is complete.
Mashable reached out to Roblox for comment regarding the situation and received a statement from the company’s Chief Safety Officer, Matt Kaufman:
“To suggest that our age check technology isn’t working is a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to shift safety at scale. With a global community of over 150 million daily active users, we are pleased with where we are in the roll out process. It’s a process that will take time, you can’t flip a switch while building something that hasn’t existed before.
Tens of millions of users have already completed the process, proving that the vast majority of our community values a safer, more age-appropriate environment. Expecting the system to be flawless overnight is ignoring the scale of this undertaking. We’ve already shared updates with our creator community to make this a smoother transition. This technology is the foundation of a new gold standard that limits communication between adults and minors by default.
We are building for the next decade of the internet, not the next news cycle. We will continue to innovate, continue to require age checks, and continue to lead the industry where others have been too hesitant to go.”
UPDATE: Jan. 14, 2026, 2:15 p.m. EST This story has been updated with a response from Roblox.
