Roblox is facing a growing backlash as its new selfie-video age-verification system continues rolling out across select regions. The update replaces the previous ID-and-photo method with a recorded front-facing video where users must look left and right while an automated classifier estimates their age. Instead of confirming who players are, the system assigns them to age bands that directly determine who they are allowed to chat with.
Widespread Misclassifications and Verification Failures
Early reports show that many players are being incorrectly labeled as younger than they actually are. These misclassifications have caused long-time users — even those with accounts over a decade old — to suddenly lose access to basic chat features they’ve used for years. Community channels have filled with complaints from players repeatedly failing verification or receiving age assignments that immediately restrict their social connections.
New Age Bands Sever Existing Friend Groups
Roblox’s chat system now depends on six strict age brackets:
- Below 9 → can talk to users under 13
- 9–12 → can talk to users under 16
- 13–15 → can talk to users 9–17
- 16–17 → can talk to users 13–20
- 18–20 → cannot talk to users under 16
- 21+ → cannot talk to users under 18
Players who have interacted freely for years are suddenly blocked from communicating due to automated age estimation. Many describe the shift as disruptive, isolating, and poorly implemented, especially when the system’s classification errors place users in inappropriate age groups.
Growing Privacy Concerns Around Facial Video
Another major point of backlash is privacy. The new verification requires users — including minors — to submit a live facial recording. While Roblox states that videos are deleted after processing, many players remain skeptical, questioning how the clips are handled, who has access to them, and what risks could arise if the data were ever compromised.
Parents have also voiced discomfort with requiring children to record video of themselves simply to regain chat access. ( be happy they working to make roblox a better and saver place is what i would say, but no, instead parents cry because they dont know what the fuck is going on )
Legal Pressure and the Road to 2026
Roblox is reportedly facing increased legal and public-safety scrutiny, including multiple lawsuits throughout 2025 concerning platform safety and youth communication. The company plans a full global rollout of the verification system by January 2026, suggesting that major policy changes are unlikely. However, the current backlash may push Roblox to refine the classifier, adjust chat rules, or offer alternative verification methods before deployment reaches all users.
