Roblox is a popular gaming platform that includes millions of games, all built by other users and developers. Known for games like “Grow a Garden,” “Adopt Me!,” and “Brookhaven,” the platform is well-liked by those of all ages in the gaming community. Recently, the platform has faced significant backlash regarding concerns on child safety.
Due to Roblox being accessible to all ages, there are unfortunately many predators on the app who target young children and teens. In August 2025, Roblox sent a cease-and-desist letter to a YouTuber known as “Schlep,” who created content focused on catching predators on the gaming platform. The letter threatened to take legal action if he continued his activities on the app and forbade him to play the game. Many people saw this as the corporation telling the world that they were more focused on silencing criticism than addressing the clear safety issues on the app.
Months later, Roblox worked with Persona AI to add face-scanning to sort players by their age groups, with the groups being under nine, nine to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, and 21 and older. After taking a picture through their camera to complete the face-scan, players are allowed to communicate in game only with those in similar age groups. For example, a player in the 13 to 15 age group can chat only with those who are nine to 17.
The feature was added in select regions in December 2025 but was officially rolled out globally in January 2026. According to corp.roblox.com, Roblox describes the update as an innovation that “supports age-based chat and limits communication between minors and adults.” The company believes that it is establishing what will become a new industry standard.
The platform fails to acknowledge how any face can be used to verify a player’s account age. A smart six-year-old could trick their oblivious parent into using their forty-year-old face to get in an older age group. As a result, they will only be communicating with adults, which makes it even more unsafe than before. What is the point of this update if the face-scanning is so easy to work around?
Another emerging concern is the illegal selling of Roblox accounts in specific age groups. These accounts may be bought by predators who then pose as a minor. This could create a dangerous situation where a predator uses an account in a younger age group and their interactions with minors occur without any adults who can see and evaluate the conversation. Before, an adult would have been able to intervene by reporting the predator’s account and potentially speaking with the minor to protect them.
Overall, many see this new update as a failed attempt to protect Roblox’s younger players. Although it was presented as a safety measure, people argue that it does little to truly battle the pedophilia on the platform.
