Roblox is now scanning kids’ faces with AI to protect them from predators, and to no one’s surprise, it isn’t working properly

Two days after Roblox introduced a new age verification process across all platforms, the results are creating problems for many users.

On Jan. 7, Roblox made “facial age checks” a requirement to chat on the game, requiring you to use a camera and scan your face to use any chat feature. It will then give you an age estimate based on what it sees, shaping your chat experience and defining who you can and cannot interact with.

One of the problems with the feature, at least at the outset, is that it seems to come to incorrect conclusions. In many cases, it’s overestimating the age of children and then placing them into a bracket where they can chat with users deemed older than them.

“As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety,” Roblox said on Jan. 7. “It enables age-based chat, which promotes a positive, age-appropriate experience for all users globally, and limits communication between adults and children younger than 16.”

Roblox said that “tens of millions of daily active users” completed an age check as the feature was rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in early December before being widely implemented this week. But the results since then are quite spotty.

One mother from the US told me that the game estimated her 10-year-old daughter was 16 years old. The new facial age check will overwrite whatever actual age the parent entered in the first place, and the information can only be corrected by then scanning some form of identification.

“Even if [my child] had an ID, I wouldn’t scan hers into their system to correct it,” she told me. “The age verification process often resulting in young kids being placed in older age groups defeats the purpose of trying to keep them safe online.”

And if you encounter similar errors or misidentification and want to try to correct the error via Roblox support, it then requires appealing through layers of AI agents before ever reaching a human who can fix it.

“I (37) like to play Roblox with my son (10) pretty frequently,” another Reddit post said. “I just age-verified both our accounts and now I can’t even chat to my own child in-game? Why the frick are Trusted Connections only available for 13-plus? We spend so much on this game over the years and now it takes away my ability to talk to my own child?”

Roblox has come under heavy scrutiny over the past few years for being a “breeding ground for predators,” according to the Florida attorney general, among several similar probes. Last month, the game was completely blocked in Russia for “LGBT propaganda.”

These new security measures look to be trying to keep children safe from nefarious users, but their implementation so far is leaving a lot to be desired for many, causing frustration for kids and parents alike.

I tried out the facial scan on a new account myself, and it correctly identified me as “21 or older.” But the RobloxHelp Reddit page is overflowing with complaints from many who are reporting issues with the tech, which looks to be largely AI-powered.

Destructoid has reached out to Roblox for comment on this story.

Update on Jan. 9 at 1:35pm CT: Roblox has responded to the article stating that “users can appeal their age check not only with ID verification but also parental controls, which allow parents to update their child’s age.”

More stories and complaints of facial age check issues have been steadily appearing on Reddit throughout the day.