Roblox's AI verification is so broken that verified accounts are selling for Dhs 16 on eBay

Roblox's attempt to improve child safety has reportedly backfired, with a new AI verification system misidentifying ages and locking users out of chats.

Reports indicate that Roblox age verification issues are causing significant disruptions, despite Roblox's attempts to improve online child safety. The platform's new AI-powered age verification system has reportedly backfired, causing chaos with users losing contact with friends and accounts being mislabelled, according to a report by PCMag.

The update, intended to protect younger players by verifying ages for chat features, relies on an AI tool that is seemingly struggling to tell adults and children apart. For UAE parents and gamers, this adds a layer of frustration to one of the region's most popular platforms.

Roblox Age Verification Issues: What is going wrong?

The core issue lies with the new mandatory verification for users aged 13 and above who want to use voice chat features, a measure intended to boost Roblox chat safety. Roblox partnered with a third-party vendor, Persona age verification, to handle ID uploads and AI age estimation. However, the system is reportedly flagging adults as children and vice versa.

This isn't just a minor inconvenience. These AI system errors lead to Roblox account restrictions, where an incorrect age flagging can restrict access to voice chat and segregate players into different age groups, effectively cutting them off from their friends list. While companies like Microsoft deal with rising AI costs, Roblox is finding the technology's practical application with users to be the real challenge.

Incorrect ages: The AI reportedly struggles to accurately estimate user ages.
Lost connections: Users are losing access to friends who fall into different age brackets.
Parental confusion: Parents verifying on behalf of kids are inadvertently setting their child's age to 21+, posing challenges for effective Roblox parental controls.

Why Roblox Parental Controls and Safety are at Risk

Roblox implemented these checks following lawsuits in the US alleging the platform was unsafe for children. The goal was to distance kids from unknown adults. However, the technical failures have created a new black market.

Because the verification is difficult or buggy, verified accounts are reportedly appearing on eBay for as little as Dhs 16 ($4.45). This completely undermines the safety purpose, as anyone could buy a verified "adult" account to bypass the restrictions. If you are locked out of your account, you might want to try Hearthstone's latest update while you wait for a fix rather than risking a bought account.

Roblox's Response to Age Verification Problems

The company is aware of the issues. Specifically, they noted that parents trying to help by using their own IDs are accidentally aging their children up to 21+, highlighting a major challenge with Roblox parental controls and user experience, which defeats the purpose of the child safety features.

"You can’t flip a switch while building something that hasn’t existed before [and expect it] to be flawless overnight," said Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox, in a statement regarding the rollout.

For now, UAE users should be careful when verifying IDs. These ongoing Roblox age verification issues mean that if you are a parent, ensure you are following the process for a child account specifically, rather than verifying it as your own, or your child might be placed in an adult server environment.

FAQs

What problems is Roblox's age verification system facing?

Users are reporting incorrect age estimations by the AI, which leads to loss of friend contacts and chat access. Additionally, there are reports of verified accounts being sold online to bypass the system entirely.

Why did Roblox implement age verification?

The system was introduced to address multiple lawsuits alleging the platform was unsafe for children. The goal is to verify ages to separate children from unknown adults in voice and text chats.

Who handles the verification process?

Roblox uses a third-party vendor called Persona. They use an AI-powered age-estimation tool and government ID uploads to verify user ages.

Is it safe to verify my child's age on Roblox?

While the third-party vendor is legitimate, the current bugs are causing issues. Be very careful not to verify your own ID on your child's account, as this will mark them as 21+ and place them in adult servers.