Roblox is a popular online platform used by millions of children, teens and adults to play games, create content and socialize. But for some parents, navigating the platform’s safety features can be challenging.
One mother says she lost access to parental controls on her child’s account after a facial recognition system incorrectly identified her 9-year-old son as a teenager.
Desirae Zick said she had taken steps to monitor her son’s activity on Roblox, including restricting direct messages and limiting interactions to friends he knows in real life.
“I know he’s only playing with friends that he knows from school,” Zick said. “I have the settings set up so nobody can direct message him.”
Zick said she was shocked when she received an email from Roblox stating her child’s age had been updated to between 13 and 15.
“My child is 9,” she said. “So I’m like, how did this happen?”
After the change, Zick said she could no longer access parental controls on the account.
Roblox introduced age verification technology using what it calls “facial age estimation” in late 2025. According to the company’s website, “Proactive tools like age estimation are key to building a safer and more positive digital world for kids and teens.”
Zick said she attempted to resolve the issue by logging into her son’s account and contacting customer support but was unsuccessful.
“It still wouldn’t let you change it,” she said. “I tried to call customer support — no answer. You get a voicemail that’s never returned.”
She also sent multiple emails to the company. One response indicated her son would need to provide a government-issued ID to verify his age — something he does not have.
Zick shared her experience on TikTok, where her post has received more than 400,000 views. She said other parents responded with similar concerns.
“I had so many comments saying, ‘Thank you for alerting us to this,’ or ‘This happened to my son, too,’” she said.
Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov, Roblox’s head of parental advocacy — a role created in May 2025 — said the platform offers a wide range of opportunities for users.
“There are so many things you’re able to do, from coding to creating to connecting and chatting,” Milovidov said.
However, Roblox has faced growing scrutiny over safety concerns. The platform is the subject of lawsuits alleging that children have been exposed to inappropriate content and targeted by predators. Roblox has denied the allegations.
The mom said the companies are not doing enough to protect vulnerable children on the gaming platform and the chat site. Karma Dickerson reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
More than 140 individual lawsuits were consolidated in federal court this month, and at least seven states have filed separate legal actions.
In February, Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit on behalf of California, alleging the platform fails to adequately protect children from inappropriate content and grooming.
Scott Kuhn of the L.A. County Counsel’s Office said parents may be misled about the platform’s safety.
“The representations from Roblox that it’s safe — and then you find out your child is being exposed to these things,” Kuhn said. “In worst-case scenarios, kids are lured off the site onto another platform and even into in-person meetings, leading to problems in school and mental health issues.”
In a statement responding to the lawsuit, a Roblox spokesperson said: “We strongly dispute the claims in this lawsuit and will defend against it vigorously. Roblox is built with safety at its core, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day.”
Despite that, Zick said she remains concerned.
“I’m just a regular mom trying to warn other parents like me,” she said.
Roblox told NBC4 Investigates it would look into Zick’s concerns.
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