Inside Roblox’s Safety Mission: How New Tech and Parental Dialogue Protect Young Users

Roblox’s Commitment to Safety: Insights from CSO Matt Koppman

At the recent Roblox Developer Conference (RDC2025) held in San Jose, Matt Koppman, Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer (CSO), shared key details about the company’s approach to safety, especially given its large base of minor users. His role is deeply involved in every stage of product development, ensuring safety is a priority from the outset.

“Since many of our users are minors, before developing any feature, we first ask ourselves, ‘How can we make this feature safer?’” Koppman explained. “Safety isn’t an afterthought; it’s integral throughout product development and sets Roblox apart from other companies.”

Introducing the Face-Based Age Estimation System

Koppman detailed a new safety technology designed to improve age verification on the platform. The face-based age estimation system analyzes short videos and photos of users’ faces to estimate their age by studying facial movements.

• It predicts actual age with a margin of error of 1-2 years.
• It works across diverse races and appearances without bias.
• It provides biometric-based age verification rather than relying solely on user-input data.

This system addresses the challenge that many minors do not have government-issued IDs, which are typically not available until age 16 in the U.S. It also helps navigate privacy concerns around sharing official ID information, especially in countries sensitive to personal data leaks.

Accuracy and Data Diversity

The algorithm powering this system was developed using extensive datasets that reflect a wide range of skin tones, races, and physical traits. This diversity ensures accurate and fair age estimation across demographic groups.

Ensuring Safe Use of AI Features

Roblox is actively integrating AI features, such as generative AI and a new voice-to-text functionality. Koppman emphasized the importance of multi-layered safety mechanisms when deploying AI technologies.

• Input prompts are reviewed through a prompt safety system.
• Generated outputs undergo filtering to prevent unsafe content.

These safeguards help maintain a secure environment while allowing AI capabilities to enhance the user experience.

Role of Parents and Families

Koppman highlighted that parents and families play a crucial role in online safety. He recommends open, natural conversations about children’s online activities, including what games they play and who they interact with—not only on Roblox but across all digital platforms.

Roblox provides parental controls and safety tools, but the ultimate goal is to support these important family discussions.

For product developers, Roblox’s approach underscores the value of embedding safety considerations early in the development process and combining technology with user education to create trustworthy experiences.

Learn more about designing safe and user-focused products through relevant training at Complete AI Training.