Roblox’s new age-verification program, introduced to make social features safer, is struggling with a messy debut. Reports from players, parents, and developers describe incorrect age labels, disrupted friendships, and quick workarounds that undermine the system’s intent. Safety advocates have long pressed the platform to separate kids from unknown adults; the early execution suggests that getting there will be complicated. To unlock chat and other social features, Roblox now requires users 13 and up to complete an age check through identity vendor Persona. Players can either submit a government ID or use an AI-based age-estimation process that analyzes a face image. After verification, accounts are placed into one of six age tiers, and chat is limited to peers in the same or adjacent categories.