Children’s Safety on Popular Video Game Platform: Roblox

Article written by: Sanika Lovlekar

Designed by: Natasha Gumpula and Sanika Lovlekar

Image by Times of India

Introduction:

Have you heard about the latest age verification method that the online gaming platform Roblox has introduced last week? This is the positive aftermath of the recent drama circling around Roblox. When the problem was escalating, outraged state attorneys and parents sued the company because of its prolonged child predator problem. The “Roblox v. Schlep” drama further agitated the drama circling around Roblox. Schlep is a YouTuber who has gotten 6 Roblox predators arrested by posing as a young player on the app. Instead of praising Schlep for getting rid of child exploiters on their platform, Roblox responded by banning his account.

General Statistics:

As of October 2025, Roblox has 380 million monthly users and 111.8 million daily users. Out of Roblox’s entire playerbase, 56% of players are under the age of 16. This is why young children on the platform are vulnerable to child predators.

Roblox’s New Age Verification Method:

Roblox hasn’t been doing much to solve their child predator issue until last week. Roblox has found a way to accurately verify players’ ages by allowing AI to examine pictures of their faces. According to Roblox, the general chat will be available to players who fit into similar age gaps. Roblox gives the example that a 12-year-old can chat with users under the age of 15 and an 18 year old can chat with users over the age of 16. As the age verification method is quite new, there aren’t many known flaws in it yet.

Roblox says they will introduce “Trusted Connections” which allows relatives in different age groups to chat with one another. This feature will only be available to people over the age of 13. For example, a 13 year old can communicate with their 18 year old sibling thanks to Trusted Connections.

Roblox’s Current Chat/Voice Chat Moderation:

As of the middle of 2024, Roblox’s moderation consists of "artificial intelligent technology and human workers that scan all user content, including audio and text.” Roblox has 3,000 human moderators, whereas TikTok, a famous social media app, has 40,000 moderators. Although Tiktok has 3 times the amount of daily users Roblox does, they also have 13 times the moderation. Another factor to consider is that Roblox is an app created for children, therefore, it needs increased moderation. Hopefully, with the new age verification method introduced, Roblox’s current moderation is sufficient for keeping children safe.

Works Cited

• Bhatia, Rajiv, and Kaufman Matt. “Roblox Requires Age Checks for Communication, Ushering in New Safety Standard.” Roblox, 18 Nov. 2025, www.corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/11/roblox-requires-age-checks-limits-minor-and-adult-chat. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.

• Carville, Olivia, and Cecilia D’Anastasio. “Roblox’s Pedophile Problem.” Bloomberg. 22 Jun. 2024, www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-roblox-pedophile-problem/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.

• Gross, Jenny. “Roblox, Where Kids Game and Chat, Will Analyze Users’ Faces to Verify Age.” The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/business/roblox-age-verification.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3E8.sUqs.l9UDS0xkUL5a&smid=url-share. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.

• “Roblox User Growth and Stats You Need to Know.” BLACKLINKO, 25 Aug. 2025, www.backlinko.com/roblox-users. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.

• Singh, Shubham. “How Many People Play Roblox 2025 [Player Counts & Downloads].” Demandsage, 9 Oct. 2025, www.demandsage.com/how-many-people-play-roblox/#:~:text=Roblox%20has%2085.3%20million%20daily,the%20first%20half%20of%202024. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.

• Trioli, Virginia. “Roblox has booted paedophile hunter Schlep. Who's watching out for the kids now?” ABC News, 29 Aug. 2025, www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-30/roblox-banned-predator-hunter-schlep-gaming-kids-watching/105711644. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.