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Just days after<\/span> launching, Roblox\u2019s<\/a> much-hyped AI-powered age verification system<\/a> is a complete mess.<\/p>\n Roblox\u2019s face scanning system, which estimates peoples\u2019 ages before they can access the platform\u2019s chat functions, rolled out in the US and other countries around the world last week, after initially launching in a few locations in December. Roblox says<\/a> it is implementing the system to allow users to safely chat with users of similar ages.<\/p>\n But players are already in revolt<\/a> because they can no longer chat to their friends, developers are demanding Roblox<\/a> roll back the update, and crucially, experts say that not only is the AI mis-aging young players as adults and vice versa, the system does little to help address the problem it was designed to tackle: the flood of predators using the platform to groom young children.<\/p>\n In fact, WIRED has found multiple examples of people advertising age-verified accounts for minors as young as 9 years old on eBay for as little as $4.<\/p>\n After WIRED flagged the listings, eBay spokesperson Maddy Martinez said the company was removing them for violating the site’s policies.<\/p>\n In an email, Roblox\u2019s chief safety officer Matt Kaufman told WIRED that a change of this magnitude on a platform with over 150 million daily users takes time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t flip a switch while building something that hasn\u2019t existed before,\u201d he said. \u201cExpecting the system to be flawless overnight is ignoring the scale of this undertaking.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaufman said the company was happy with the uptake, adding that \u201ctens of millions of users\u201d have already verified their age, which he claimed proved that \u201cthe vast majority of our community values a safer, more age-appropriate environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The company also addressed some of the criticism in an update<\/a> on Friday, writing: \u201cWe are aware of instances where parents age check on behalf of their children leading to kids being aged to 21+. We are working on solutions to address this and we\u2019ll share more here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Roblox announced<\/a> the age verification requirement last July as part of a raft of new features designed to make the platform safer. The company has come under intense pressure in recent months after multiple lawsuits allege the company failed to protect its youngest users and facilitated predators to groom children.<\/p>\n The attorneys general of Louisiana<\/a>, Texas<\/a>, and Kentucky<\/a> also filed lawsuits against the company last year making similar claims, while Florida\u2019s attorney general issued criminal subpoenas<\/a> to assess whether Roblox is \u201caiding predators in accessing and harming children.\u201d<\/p>\n Roblox claims that requiring people to verify their ages before allowing them to chat to others will prevent adults from being able to freely interact with children they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n While the process is optional, refusing to do it means a person will no longer have access to the platform\u2019s chat functions, one of the key reasons most people use Roblox.<\/p>\n To verify their ages, people are asked to take a short video using their device\u2019s camera, which is processed by a company called Persona that estimates their age. Alternatively, users can upload a government-issued photo ID if they are 13 or older.<\/p>\n Roblox says all personal information is \u201cdeleted immediately after processing.\u201d However many users online say they are unwilling to conduct age verification over privacy concerns.<\/p>\n Peope who have verified their ages are only allowed to chat to a small group of other players around their own age. For example, those verified as under 9 can only chat with players up to the age of 13. Players deemed to be 16 can chat with players between 13 and 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n