Roblox Face Verification Rolled Out To Detect Users’ Ages and Prevent Child Sexploitation

Developers say the technology is more accurate when scanning younger users and that images captured during verification are deleted immediately.

Facing a growing number of child sexual exploitation lawsuits, Roblox has implemented facial scanning technology aimed at verifying user ages and restricting adult interactions with children on the platform.

First launched in 2006, the video game construction set was aggressively marketed toward children, allowing them to build their own games, create customized avatars, make in-game purchases, and explore player-created games and worlds. It is currently estimated to have about 111 million daily active users, with 40 million concurrent players often on at the same time.

While children make up a large portion of the user base, they are not the majority. An estimated 42 percent of Roblox users are under the age of 13, meaning tens of millions of adult players also use the platform, and previously had the ability to communicate with children through in-game features.

Safety advocates have warned that Roblox’s mixed-age user base and open communication features have allowed adults to pose as children, creating opportunities for grooming, manipulation and other forms of exploitation. Reported concerns include sexual abuse, coercion, abduction and child sex trafficking that may begin through interactions on the platform.

As a result, hundreds of Roblox sexual exploitation lawsuits have been filed across the United States. The claims raise similar allegations that the platform was intentionally designed to maximize user growth and engagement while failing to implement adequate safeguards to protect children from sexual exploitation.

In September, facing increasing pressure through lawsuits and public opinion, developers announced they would soon launch a new Roblox age check verification system that relied heavily on facial scans to identify which users are adults and which are children. It also will include a system to confirm minors have parental consent to chat, so as to limit communications between them and adults.

The facial scans went into effect worldwide at the beginning of January. All users will be required to undergo the age-estimation scan to continue using Roblox’s chat system.

The scan requires Roblox to be allowed to access a web-connected camera that scans the face from three angles, according to various reports. Roblox Corporation claims that the images will be deleted immediately after processing.

According to developers, the technology estimates the age of users in their 20s within approximately two years, with increasing accuracy for younger subjects, a level they believe is adequate to differentiate children from adults.

Those given an incorrect age by the scan can use an alternate form of verification to appeal the decision, such as by ID. However, it is not yet clear how accurate or effective the new age verification system will be.

Roblox Child Exploitation Lawsuits

The system may prevent future sexual predatory practices on Roblox. However, the platform still faces a growing number of claims brought nationwide.

All federal Roblox child exploitation lawsuits filed across the U.S. have been centralized in the Northern District of California for coordinated pretrial proceedings under U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

Judge Seeborg is expected to call for the parties to prepare a small number of representative cases to serve as “bellwether” trials. These early test cases will give the parties a chance to see how juries respond to evidence and testimony likely to be repeated throughout the litigation.

While the results of these trials will not be binding on other claims, they will be closely watched for their potential impacts on Roblox lawsuit settlement discussions. However, if the parties are unable to reach a resolution following these trials, Judge Seeborg is likely to remand the cases back to their original home districts for individual trial dates.

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