Roblox is rolling out facial age estimation technology to replace simple checkbox age verification. The platform's vice president of safety product policy, Eliza Jacobs, told NBC News that self-reported age declarations no longer cut it for protecting minors on the platform.
The new system requires users to submit a video selfie, which Roblox's technology analyzes to estimate age. Jacobs expressed confidence the system will improve over time. "Ticking a box to say you're 13 or older, it's not enough anymore," she said, signaling the company's shift toward automated visual verification.
The move addresses a persistent problem on Roblox. The platform hosts 200+ million monthly active users, many of them children, making it a target for bad actors seeking access to minors. Basic self-attestation has enabled adults to pose as children and vice versa, undermining content filtering and safety controls built around age brackets.
Facial age estimation sits in a gray zone between privacy and safety. The technology extracts age information from facial features without requiring identity verification. Roblox hasn't disclosed how it processes or stores video data, whether the images get deleted after analysis, or what happens to the age estimates. These details matter significantly for parents and regulators watching how platforms handle children's biometric data.
The approach follows growing pressure from legislators and child safety advocates. Multiple U.S. states have proposed or passed laws requiring age verification on social platforms. The EU's Digital Services Act already mandates that platforms assess age of minor users.
Facial age estimation isn't foolproof. Studies show these systems vary in accuracy across age groups, ethnicities, and lighting conditions. Bad-faith users could potentially game the system with filters, spoofed videos, or images of others. Roblox's willingness to deploy it suggests the company believes imperfect automation beats the current