Roblox launched age-verification rules. Days later, age-verified accounts were available on eBay

"A new mandatory safety feature requires Roblox users in the U.S. to submit to facial age estimation via the app to access its chat feature. The online gaming platform announced it was implementing the system to prevent children younger than 16 from communicating with adults. About 42% of Roblox users are younger than 13."

"But a cursory scroll on eBay found that various listings of age-verified Roblox accounts are available for purchase, some for as little as $2.99. This allows the purchaser to sign in to the account without having to use any ID or facial scan, voiding the new safety feature Roblox has implemented."

"The system has also had trouble correctly estimating user's ages, mislabeling some adults as children and vice versa. One X user wrote that their 10-year-old brother was misidentified as a 16- to 17-year-old. The replies are full of others sharing similar stories. "I have a full ass beard and it put my alt on a 13-16 age range," one responded to the post. "I'm 23 (nearly 24) and it's forced me as a 16-17 year old," another wrote. Another X user posted a video of them circumventing the age verification using a 3D animated avatar, which Roblox's system identified as over 18. Another user, somewhat unbelievably, fooled the system into thinking he was over the age of 21 by drawing on facial hair with a marker."

Roblox requires U.S. users to submit to facial age estimation via the app to access its chat feature to prevent children younger than 16 from communicating with adults. About 42% of users are younger than 13. Age-verified Roblox accounts are being sold on eBay for as little as $2.99, allowing purchasers to sign in without using ID or facial scans and bypass the safety measure. eBay removed some listings for policy violations, though searches still returned results. The estimation system has misclassified users’ ages, and users have bypassed it using avatars or drawn facial hair. Nearly 80 active lawsuits allege Roblox enabled child exploitation.

Read at Fast Company