I’m sure you’ve heard of the hit game Roblox, though calling it a game is a stretch, since it’s more of a gaming platform than anything else. The changes Roblox has made to its platform have affected every player, old and young. So why is Roblox making all of these controversial changes?
To start, the platform is not safe for kids. This is the biggest problem with Roblox being targeted towards kids. You’d think it would be a safe environment for them, but you’d be wrong. Overwhelming evidence shows that Roblox hasn’t been safe since its start. Since Roblox relies on the community for its content, people have always been able to add their own ideas to the game. Back then, it was easier to block and prevent creators from posting harmful content, since there weren’t as many people to monitor. As Roblox grew, more kids joined and played experiences created by creators, while more creators were introduced to the Roblox world.
Games that spiked in child endangerment were known as “hang-out games.” These games were areas where players could connect and talk with their friends. It’s also common for older players to intentionally join younger players to talk and connect in inappropriate ways. In 2024, Roblox made all “hang-out games” restricted to players under 13. This lasted only a year, until Roblox raised the age requirement for these games to 17+. Now, if Roblox separates players by age, how could children be in danger from older players?
In 2026, Roblox made its largest change, placing different age groups in the same experiences. They did this by adding age verification, making it so that if you don’t verify your age, you can’t talk to anyone.
“Less than 36% of players can chat with each other now on Roblox. Great work!” Developer ChickenPutty stated on X. Other creators have reported that chat activity has decreased by roughly 50% in some experiences because not all players have verified their age, with many concerned about their privacy and distrust Roblox with images of their faces and IDs.
Sadly, these changes aren’t enough to prevent child endangerment. In early 2026, there was a way to trick Roblox’s AI age verification by simply drawing a fake mustache on your face. AI was Roblox’s biggest problem, as even people who correctly took pictures of their faces were reported as inaccurate results. There are thousands of reports of 10-year-olds being labeled as 21+ and 25-year-olds being labeled as 13. It’s also known that black markets sell Roblox accounts with specific age ranges, allowing users to bypass the new rules without providing proof of ID, according to Jibin Joseph of PCMag.
The separation of ages may not even be a smart idea. By placing children under 13 only on specific servers, Roblox has effectively removed the “older siblings” and “community moderators” who used to spot and report inappropriate behavior. With ages easily able to be manipulated, if a predator manages to bypass verification (using a stolen account or a fake ID), they are now in a room full of only children with no adults around to notice or report the grooming.
I think it’s obvious that the predatory content on Roblox should be stopped, and action should be taken. If only Roblox could find better ways to address this problem instead of relying on unreliable AI systems, the platform would be safer. Roblox has one of the biggest moderation tasks to complete, but one of the smallest human moderators-to-player-count ratios. It’s clear AI is not the step to take when protecting children, and let’s hope Roblox will realize this
