Here’s how Roblox’s age checks work

Roblox’s Age-Verification Revolution: 45% of Users Now Under the Microscope as Safety Meets Monetization

In a bold move that’s shaking up the gaming world, Roblox has announced that nearly half of its massive user base—45%—has completed mandatory facial verification checks as of January 31, 2026. This sweeping initiative, launched just a month ago, marks a dramatic shift in how the platform balances child safety with its explosive growth ambitions.

The catalyst? A relentless wave of lawsuits from state attorneys general in Texas, Kentucky, and Louisiana, all accusing Roblox of exposing minors to grooming, explicit content, and predatory behavior. These legal battles, fueled by damning reports from Bloomberg and Hindenburg Research, painted a picture of a platform struggling to protect its youngest users from digital dangers lurking in its vibrant virtual worlds.

Here’s how it works: Users open the Roblox app, grant camera access, and follow on-screen prompts for facial verification. The process, powered by third-party vendor Persona, promises to delete all images and videos post-verification. Once cleared, users unlock age-based chat groups—six tiers ranging from “Under 9” to “21+.” Each group can interact with adjacent age brackets, creating a controlled social ecosystem. For example, a 10-year-old can chat with peers and slightly older or younger users, but not with teenagers or adults.

But Roblox isn’t just betting on facial scans. The platform employs a suite of “continuous age-check systems” running silently in the background. These tools analyze gameplay patterns, chat behavior, and even typing styles—yes, adults and kids really do type differently. As Roblox’s Senior Director of Product Policy, Eliza Jacobs, revealed, the system even scrutinizes emoji usage: older users tend to drop emojis at the end of sentences like punctuation, while younger players sprinkle them mid-sentence like confetti.

Loopholes? Roblox admits they exist. Reports surfaced of eBay listings selling age-verified accounts for kids as young as nine, though the platform has since clamped down. Jacobs assures users that Roblox’s multi-layered verification—combining facial scans, behavioral analytics, and optional ID checks—makes it “extremely difficult” for bad actors to game the system.

The numbers tell a fascinating story. Of the 45% who’ve undergone verification, 35% are under 13, 38% are teens (13-17), and 27% are adults. This data has upended Roblox’s assumptions: the platform now estimates its 18+ demographic is growing at over 50% and monetizing 40% higher than younger users. CEO David Baszucki is seizing the moment, optimizing the platform for genres like shooters, RPGs, sports, and racing—content that resonates with older audiences.

Yet, the move isn’t without controversy. Privacy advocates question the ethics of storing biometric data, while parents worry about the implications of facial recognition for kids. Roblox counters that Persona’s deletion protocols and the platform’s commitment to safety outweigh these concerns.

As Roblox continues to refine its safety measures, one thing is clear: the era of unchecked anonymity on the platform is over. Whether this gamble pays off—keeping kids safe while unlocking new revenue streams—remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: Roblox is rewriting the rules of online safety, one selfie at a time.

Tags: Roblox, age verification, facial recognition, child safety, online gaming, digital privacy, parental controls, monetization, AI, social media, cybersecurity, tech innovation, platform safety, user data, gaming industry

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