Just a few weeks have passed since popular online game platform Roblox announced it would implement new facial age-estimation practices for players using in-game chat features, and some users have already taken to social media to share just how the change has impacted gameplay and communication. The brand announced its age-based chat feature on Nov. 18, a move likely influenced by continued criticism from parents, players, and U.S. state attorneys general regarding the site’s child safety protections. The feature, according to Roblox, would help curb communications between minors and adults.
In one post on the Roblox subreddit, a frustrated user called the in-game experience “horrible” before admitting they’d previously used a sibling’s compliant identification to access in-game voice chat features — a safety concern in and of itself. While no one is surprised that young people find ways to skirt security measures, the account is now tied to the incorrect ID:
“I understand its definitely my fault for using my sisters ID instead of waiting till I was 16 to get my own – so I went to try and change it because as I’m 16 turning 17 I have a legal license now, you literally cannot change your ID once its verified which means Roblox is unplayable for me and the genre of games I play. you’d be surprised at how little 21+ players there are on games with 300 players (daybreak & Death Note my top games).”
Verifying minors’ online accounts may seem like a no-brainer on paper. In practice, however, the experience is a little different. Although they inappropriately supplied a false ID before age verification began, the 16-year-old user’s account is now exclusively tied to 21-and-up groups.
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The new age-locked chat features are also hampering players’ abilities to moderate their own in-game creations. In a reply to the original Reddit post, one developer said supervising and controlling the in-game content they themselves made due to age-related safety parameters. “I can’t even moderate my own game and ban people who are speaking inappropriately because I can’t see their chats,” the user lamented.
Others complained their favorite in-game experiences are now ghost towns. In a reply to a separate but similar post, a user suspects their go-to Roblox game will become unplayable, as it relies on teamwork and communication. “I just got into a nuclear-reactor simulator game, I would rather they make age-separated servers, because a game about team-communication is going to have no communication[.]”
Wait—how does Roblox verify age?
Roblox verifies players’ age using facial age estimation technology from Persona Identities, Inc., a San Francisco-based software company established in 2018. Bear in mind that not all users are required to verify their age; only players who wish to use in-game chat features must verify with the platform.
When a Roblox user logs in, the platform will obtain a 3D face scan using the player’s webcam or smartphone camera. Persona then estimates player age using artificial intelligence. Once an estimated age is assigned to a Roblox user, they are sorted into a subgroup: 9 and under, 9 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, or 21+. From here, the account can only engage with similarly-aged users or those it’s designated as “Trusted Connections.”
Age verification is also required to “access social media links on user profiles, communities, and experience detail pages.” Despite lingering concerns, Roblox maintains that any images or videos are “deleted immediately after processing.”
Roblox’s Legal Troubles
Roblox’s new parameters are among many steps the site has taken in 2025 to address criticism and child safety concerns following a series of high-profile headlines and prominent investigations. Since the start of the year, three state attorneys general — Texas AG Ken Paxton, Louisiana AG Liz Murrill, and Kentucky AG Russell Coleman — have sued the platform. Paxton, who filed in early November, alleged Roblox prioritizes “pixel pedophiles” and profit over minor safety. “We cannot allow platforms like Roblox to continue operating as digital playgrounds for predators where the well-being of our kids is sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed.” State Attorneys General Gentner Drummond of Oklahoma and James Uthmeier of Florida have also initiated formal investigations.
Parent of a young Roblox player? Check out Roblox’s Parental Controls page for more technical details.
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