Roblox Adds Facial Age Estimation as Lawsuits Over Safety Mount

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Roblox Adds Facial Age Estimation as Lawsuits Over Safety Mount
A photo shows the logo of online game platform and game creation system Roblox at their booth during at the Gamescom video games trade fair at the Trade Fair Center in Cologne, western Germany, on August 21, 2025. INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)/Getty Images

Roblox is rolling out a new facial age estimation tool to better protect young users on its platform, the company announced Wednesday.

The move comes as the gaming giant faces growing pressure over child safety and mounting lawsuits, including one from the state of Louisiana.

The new age-checking system will use facial analysis, ID verification, and parental consent to confirm a user's real age.

Roblox says the goal is to make sure users get access only to content that's right for their age. The tool will be available to all users by the end of 2025.

According to Forbes, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said the new features are meant to reduce the chance of minors interacting with adults they don't know.

"This will provide users with access to developmentally appropriate features and content," he said in a press release.

Alongside the age tool, Roblox is also teaming up with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to assign official age ratings to the games and experiences on its platform.

In the US, players will see familiar ratings from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), such as "E" for everyone or "T" for teens.

Kaufman added, "We hope this will give parents more clarity and confidence regarding age-appropriate content."

Louisiana AG Sues Roblox, Cites Harmful Content and Predator Risk

This update comes after a lawsuit was filed in August by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who claimed Roblox is "overrun with harmful content and child predators."

The lawsuit mentions games with names like "Escape to Epstein Island" and "Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe" as examples of inappropriate user-created content.

Critics have also raised concerns about how Roblox handles reports of dangerous behavior. A 2024 Bloomberg investigation found that police had arrested at least two dozen Roblox users for child exploitation since 2018.

Roblox has responded by pointing to tools it already uses, like Roblox Sentinel, an AI system that watches for signs of child endangerment.

The platform also filters text and voice chats and doesn't allow users under 13 to send private messages or join voice chats.

Despite the controversy, Kaufman said safety is still the company's top concern. "We've made more than 100 updates to our safety systems this year," he said, noting that some changes are visible, while others happen quietly behind the scenes, Variety reported.

Roblox reports 111.8 million daily active users, with more than a third of them under the age of 13.

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