Hard Fork We Asked Roblox’s C.E.O. About Child Safety. It Got Tense.
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Nov 21, 2025 
David Baszucki, co-founder and CEO of Roblox, discusses the gaming platform's significant user base and the pressing concerns regarding child safety. He delves into the new measures for age estimation and chat gating aimed at protecting young users. Baszucki explains the technology behind these changes, including facial recognition and age bands, while defending the importance of in-game communication. He also addresses the challenges of moderation on such a massive scale and emphasizes the role of parental responsibility in ensuring a safe gaming environment.
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Safety Is Both Duty And Opportunity
- Roblox treats child-safety as both an obligation and a product opportunity to enable kids to build and socialize safely.
- David Baszucki says the company has iterated safety systems since day one and continues to innovate at scale.
Combine Signals For Age Estimation
- Use multiple signals rather than a single check to estimate user ages more accurately.
- Baszucki says combine behavioral data, ID uploads, self-reported age, and ephemeral facial age estimation.
User Base Is Aging Over Time
- Roblox's self-reported demographics have shifted toward older users over time.
- Baszucki notes growth in users reporting 21+ and two-thirds reporting over 13.