Roblox has often been accused of poor protection for minors, who can easily fall prey to predators and bad actors online. While it’s fair to note that many parents fail to monitor their children’s gaming activities properly, the platform’s new age verification system was meant to fix that. Unfortunately, it seems that fooling it is literally child’s play — as many users have discovered, all it takes is a fake mustache.
A Flawed Age Verification System
The facial recognition-based age verification system was introduced as a way to protect young players. The verification process includes two options: facial recognition or uploading an ID for users over 13 years old. Once verified, players are only allowed to communicate with others in their same age group.
On paper, this system sounds solid. In reality, it’s riddled with flaws. Reports reveal that users are frequently placed in the wrong age categories — for instance, a 23-year-old being marked as 16–17, or an 18-year-old ending up in the 13–15 range. Even more concerning, children have found ways to trick the system by wearing fake mustaches to appear older. Some even draw wrinkles or beards on their faces, while others upload images of adult celebrities.
Parents are also part of the problem. In many cases, they reportedly complete the verification process on behalf of their children, which can wrongly categorize them as adults. This not only undermines the purpose of the system but also raises questions about digital responsibility.
As frustration grows, many users are calling for Roblox to remove the system altogether. The platform’s chat usage has dropped dramatically — from 90% down to 36.5% — a huge blow to a game that thrives on social interaction.
In related news, users in the United Kingdom discovered that the ultra-realistic character models in Death Stranding could be used to bypass mandatory age verification checks on adult websites and social media platforms.
