Roblox begins global rollout of mandatory age checks for chat access
Roblox has started enforcing age verification for chat access worldwide, marking a significant shift in how large online platforms manage youth safety, privacy, and age-appropriate communication as regulatory pressure and public scrutiny increase.
Roblox has begun globally enforcing mandatory age checks for users who want to access chat, starting in the UK and select regions and expanding worldwide over the coming week.
The move makes Roblox the first major online gaming platform to require age verification for users of all ages before enabling chat, with implications for online safety standards across games, social platforms, and youth-facing digital services.
Global enforcement builds on regional trials
The requirement was first announced in November and partially enforced in December in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Roblox confirmed that more than 50 percent of daily active users in those markets have already completed the age check, with tens of millions of users completing verification globally.
Under the new system, users are prompted in-app to complete an age check before chatting. Parental consent remains mandatory for users under nine, while users aged 13 and older can access broader chat functionality through Roblox’s Trusted Connections feature. The platform says the approach is designed to limit communication between adults and children under 16 by default.
The move also responds to longstanding concerns about age misrepresentation on Roblox. The platform has historically relied on self-declared age at sign-up, a system that researchers, regulators, and child safety groups have repeatedly flagged as difficult to enforce at scale. These concerns have centered on underage users accessing chat and social features intended for older age groups, prompting calls for stronger age assurance across youth-facing platforms.
Privacy safeguards and accuracy measures outlined
Roblox says the age check relies on facial age estimation technology provided by Persona, with images and video deleted immediately after secure processing. The company emphasizes that age verification is one part of a wider safety system that includes content filtering, restrictions on sharing personal information, and proactive moderation.
Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox, and Rajiv Bhatia, Vice President and Head of User and Discovery Product, write that “images and video used for Facial Age Estimation are deleted immediately after they’ve been securely processed.”
To address potential inaccuracies, Roblox says users can appeal results through customer support and verify their age using alternative methods, including ID checks or parental controls. The platform also plans to re-prompt users to repeat age checks if behavior suggests a significant mismatch between estimated and actual age.
Age-based chat signals broader platform shift
Roblox frames the rollout as a foundation for wider changes across its ecosystem. The company says age checks will soon be required for creators using real-time collaboration features in Roblox Studio and that additional policy updates are planned for Roblox communities.
Kaufman and Bhatia continue, “As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety.”
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