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Surveillance Warning — Roblox Gaming Platform Used by Nearly 36 Million Kids Rolls Out Mandatory Facial Recognition. Roblox is rolling out a new system to verify users’ age by analyzing images of their faces. The company said it will protect children, but critics cited concerns about privacy and data collection. By Brenda Baletti, Ph.D. (11/21/25, includes links to related articles)
Our Take
Parents, you do not want your kids anywhere near this app or any others like it. Yeah, they’ll scream and cry when you take it away, but that’s OK. You’re the boss and you should know what’s best for your own kids. Having your kids’ images in the hands of Roblox — even if the company reassures you of privacy or immediately deleted images (ha, when has that really been true?) — is a terrible idea.
In response to lawsuits and perceived threats, many laws are being proposed and passed to force online app manufacturers and platforms to verify your child’s age to use them.
But more surveillance and digital identification and verification are NOT the answer. The answer is to know what your kids are doing online and to prevent them from using any apps that display inappropriate content and surveil them. Likely, that’s most or all apps.
A better solution: Do not give your kids any screen time until they are eighteen and ready to live on their own. If kids need to contact you, they can use “dumb” flip phones; they do not need smart phones to survive!
Isn’t it time to return to simpler lives that do not involve online Roblox gaming (or similar apps), but physical world toy blocks that challenge your kids to think, play, and build without digital control that laterally rots their brains and puts their identities at risk?
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Summary (Grok ai, edited; image from article; blocks image from Wikipedia by Thomas Eakins - The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., Public Domain, tinyurl.com/59zcje4j)
Roblox is implementing a facial age estimation system to verify users' ages and restrict chat access based on age groups, amid pressure to enhance child safety on the platform.
Roblox Platform Overview Roblox has 88.9 million daily active users and over 1 billion users worldwide, with nearly 40% aged 13 or younger. It hosts games such as Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot.
New Roblox Age Verification System
Users must use the app's camera for Facial Age Estimation to access chat, processed by third-party vendor Persona.
Images are deleted after processing. [ED NOTE Are they really?]
Users categorized into six age groups: under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+.
Chat limited to same or adjacent age brackets (e.g., 12-year-old chats with 15 or younger; 18-year-old with 16 or older).
System estimates ages 5-25 within 1-2 years; corrections via ID or parental controls.
Required for all users globally starting early January 2026.
Initial rollout in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand in early December.
Company Statements
Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman says: Feature builds trust in user interactions.
CEO David Baszucki says: Feature is a monitoring tool for decisions. Roblox anticipates it becoming an industry standard.
Industry Trends
Google tests AI age-verification on YouTube based on viewing histories.
Instagram tests AI to detect teens and convert accounts.
Legal and Safety Issues Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas sued Roblox for endangering children. Over 20 federal lawsuits this year allege enabling child sexual exploitation.
Concerns with Facial Recognition
Privacy risks from hacks and data breaches.
ACLU warns of data collection creating dossiers violating children's rights.
Microsoft fined by FTC for collecting children's information.
Gaming apps collect and share children's data, including location.
Prof. Lindsey Barrett advocates banning facial recognition for children due to privacy, free expression threats, and misuse by law enforcement.
Harms may be severe for children, impacting development.
Related:
AI Data Mining Privacy Warning for Gmail Users — Especially Free Gmail: tinyurl.com/2k8dujwt
Censorship/Surveillance — Google Censored Vaccine Info Long Before COVID — Could It Have Anything to Do With Parent Company Alphabet’s Deep Pharma Ties? tinyurl.com/4jyc6n8u
REAL ID, a national digital identification, surveillance, and control system: tinyurl.com/3pjcv7y2
