Roblox announced on November 18, 2025 that it will become the first major gaming platform to require facial age verification or government ID checks for anyone wanting to use chat features. Starting in December, children will no longer be able to privately message adult strangers, and users will be grouped into narrow age brackets that limit who they can communicate with. For a platform with over 70 million daily active users, many of them children, this represents the most significant child safety overhaul in online gaming history.
The changes come after years of lawsuits, media investigations, and mounting pressure from regulators who have accused Roblox of being a hunting ground for predators. Parents have filed legal action claiming the platform failed to protect their children from grooming and abuse by adults posing as peers. Now Roblox is responding with what it calls an industry gold standard, though critics question whether the technology is reliable enough and whether the company is doing too little too late.
How the New System Works
All Roblox users who want to access chat features will need to complete an age verification process using one of two methods. The first option is facial age estimation, where users take a live selfie video that gets processed by a third-party provider called Persona. An algorithm analyzes the video to estimate the person’s age, then immediately deletes the footage. No images or videos are stored according to Roblox.
The second option is traditional ID verification, where users upload a government-issued identification document. For users under 13, parents can provide consent and verification on their behalf. Once the age check is complete, Roblox assigns users to one of six age groups: Under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, or 21 and older.
These age groups determine who you can communicate with. Users can only chat with others in their own age bracket and immediately adjacent brackets. For example, someone estimated to be 12 years old can chat with users aged 15 or younger but is completely blocked from messaging anyone 16 or older. A user estimated to be 18 can chat with people 16 and up, but cannot initiate or respond to messages from younger teens.
The Rollout Timeline
The system is already live on a voluntary basis, meaning users can choose to verify their age right now if they want. The mandatory enforcement begins in early December 2025 in select pilot markets including Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. By early January 2026, the requirement will expand globally to every market where Roblox chat is available.
Users under 9 years old will have chat turned off by default in all experiences unless a parent provides explicit consent after completing age verification. For children under 13, chat outside of game experiences remains restricted as it has been, though in-game chat with age-appropriate users is still allowed depending on parental settings.
Users who refuse to complete age verification will lose access to private messaging and certain chat features. Roblox is essentially forcing the choice: verify your age or lose the ability to communicate with other players beyond basic in-game interactions in age-restricted environments.
Why Now?
Roblox didn’t wake up one morning and decide to revolutionize age verification out of the goodness of their hearts. The company has been under siege from multiple directions, facing lawsuits from parents whose children were allegedly victimized on the platform, investigations from media outlets documenting predatory behavior, and increasing regulatory pressure from governments implementing age verification laws.
One particularly damaging Bloomberg investigation earlier this year documented numerous cases of adults using Roblox to groom and abuse children. The report detailed how easy it was for predators to create accounts, pose as peers, and initiate private conversations with minors who had no idea they were talking to adults. The lack of meaningful age verification made it trivial for bad actors to exploit the platform’s young user base.
Several states in the US and countries around the world are also implementing age verification requirements for online platforms, particularly those frequented by minors. By getting ahead of these regulations with their own system, Roblox can claim they’re being proactive rather than reactive, though the timing suggests it’s absolutely a response to external pressure.
The Trusted Connections Exception
There is one significant exception to the age-group restrictions called Trusted Connections. This feature allows age-verified users 13 and older to chat freely with people they actually know in real life, even if those people are in different age groups. For example, an 18-year-old could add their 14-year-old sibling as a Trusted Connection and message them directly despite being in different age brackets.
To establish a Trusted Connection requires additional verification steps to confirm the relationship is legitimate. Roblox hasn’t detailed exactly what those steps involve, but the idea is to allow legitimate family and friend connections while preventing adults from manipulating children into accepting connection requests.
Early next year, Roblox will also roll out dedicated solutions for direct chat between parents and children younger than 13, and between siblings in different age groups. The company recognizes that families want to communicate on the platform and is building specific tools to enable that safely.
How Reliable Is Facial Age Estimation?
The big question mark hanging over this entire system is accuracy. Facial age estimation technology has improved significantly in recent years, but it’s not perfect. Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer, claims that for ages roughly 5 to 25, the system can accurately estimate age within one or two years. That sounds reasonable until you think about the implications.
If a mature-looking 13-year-old gets estimated as 15, they suddenly have access to chat with 18-year-olds. If a young-looking 19-year-old gets estimated as 17, they’re chatting with 13-year-olds. A two-year margin of error might seem small, but in terms of child development and appropriate interactions, two years can be massive, especially during adolescence.
There’s also the question of whether the technology works equally well across different ethnicities, genders, and physical characteristics. Facial recognition and estimation systems have historically performed worse on people with darker skin tones, and there’s no public data yet on how Roblox’s chosen vendor handles these disparities.
Roblox says users can appeal an age estimate by providing government ID or obtaining parental verification if they believe they’ve been misclassified. There’s supposedly a 48-hour window to correct mistakes, though the details of that appeals process haven’t been fully explained.
Privacy Concerns
Requiring facial scans or government IDs for children to access a video game platform raises obvious privacy concerns. Roblox insists the facial estimation process is designed to protect privacy, with images and videos deleted immediately after processing. The company partnered with the Future of Privacy Forum and received endorsements from child safety organizations, but privacy advocates remain cautious.
The fundamental issue is that you’re asking children and families to trust a gaming company with biometric data or government identification. Even if Roblox’s intentions are good and their current security is solid, data breaches happen. The more sensitive information a company collects, the more attractive a target it becomes for hackers.
On the flip side, Roblox emphasizes that unlike many other platforms, they don’t encrypt private chat conversations. Everything is monitored and moderated, both by AI algorithms and human reviewers. This lack of encryption is presented as a safety feature rather than a privacy concern, allowing Roblox to catch inappropriate content and intervene when necessary.
What Experts Are Saying
Child safety organizations have generally praised the move while maintaining some reservations. Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, said proactive tools like age estimation are key to building a safer digital world for kids and teens, calling Roblox’s approach an example of responsible innovation.
Jules Polonetsky, CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum, noted that the privacy-preserving implementation for a mixed audience of youth and adults will strengthen protections for younger players while respecting user rights. The emphasis on privacy-preserving is important given the sensitive nature of the data involved.
However, some experts have expressed concerns about whether facial age estimation is reliable enough to serve as the foundation for a major safety system. The technology is still relatively new at this scale, and mistakes could have serious consequences either by allowing inappropriate connections or by incorrectly restricting legitimate ones.
Will This Actually Work?
The effectiveness of these changes depends on several factors. First, the age estimation technology needs to be accurate enough that kids aren’t regularly misclassified into older brackets where they can interact with adults. Second, predators need to be unable to game the system by using fake IDs or appearing younger than they are. Third, users need to actually comply rather than abandoning the platform for competitors without such restrictions.
That last point is crucial. If Roblox’s user base revolts against mandatory age verification, particularly older teens and young adults who value privacy, the company could see significant user loss. The balance between safety and user experience is delicate, and forcing facial scans or ID uploads is a big ask.
On the other hand, parents who have been concerned about their children’s safety on Roblox might feel more comfortable allowing access knowing that adults are separated from kids. The perception of safety could actually increase user trust and retention, particularly among families with younger children.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Roblox start requiring age verification for chat?
The requirement begins in early December 2025 for pilot markets including Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Global enforcement starts in early January 2026 for all markets where Roblox chat is available. Users can voluntarily verify their age starting immediately as of November 18, 2025.
What happens if you don’t verify your age on Roblox?
Users who don’t complete age verification will lose access to private messaging and certain chat features. In-game chat may still be available depending on age restrictions and parental settings, but the ability to communicate broadly with other players will be removed.
How does Roblox facial age estimation work?
Users take a live selfie video that gets processed by a third-party provider called Persona. An algorithm analyzes facial features to estimate age within one or two years according to Roblox. The video is immediately deleted after processing and no images are stored. Users can alternatively verify age with government ID or parental consent.
What are the Roblox age groups for chat?
Roblox divides users into six age brackets: Under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21 and older. Users can only chat with others in their own bracket and immediately adjacent brackets. For example, 9-12 year olds can chat with users up to age 15 but are blocked from messaging anyone 16 or older.
Can family members in different age groups chat on Roblox?
Yes, through the Trusted Connections feature. Age-verified users 13 and older can establish Trusted Connections with people they know in real life, allowing chat even across different age groups. This requires additional verification steps to confirm the relationship is legitimate. Dedicated parent-child and sibling solutions will roll out early next year.
Is Roblox facial age estimation accurate?
Roblox claims the system can estimate ages between roughly 5 and 25 within one or two years of accuracy. However, this margin of error could allow inappropriate age group assignments in some cases. Users can appeal estimates by providing government ID or parental verification if they believe they’ve been misclassified.
Does Roblox store facial scan data?
According to Roblox, images and video captured during facial age estimation are immediately deleted after processing. The company says they don’t store biometric data from the age verification process, only the resulting age estimate. Privacy advocates remain cautious about trusting companies with this type of sensitive information.
Why is Roblox implementing these child safety changes?
The changes come after years of lawsuits from parents, media investigations documenting predatory behavior on the platform, and increasing regulatory pressure from governments implementing age verification laws. Roblox faced significant criticism for allowing adults to easily contact and groom minors through the platform’s chat features.
The Bigger Picture
Roblox’s move sets a precedent that other gaming platforms and social media companies will be watching closely. If this works, if users accept mandatory age verification and child safety measurably improves, expect other platforms to follow suit. If it backfires through user revolt, privacy breaches, or technical failures, it could set the industry back on implementing similar protections.
The reality is that online child safety is an unsolved problem that every platform grapples with. Roblox is taking a bold approach that other companies have been reluctant to attempt, partly because of the privacy concerns and technical challenges involved. By becoming the guinea pig, Roblox will either prove this model works or demonstrate why it doesn’t.
For parents, these changes should provide some peace of mind that random adults can’t slide into their child’s DMs anymore. For children and teens, it might feel like unnecessary restrictions on their ability to make friends and communicate freely. For Roblox, it’s a massive bet that safety concerns outweigh privacy worries and user convenience.
Whether this becomes the new standard or a cautionary tale won’t be clear for months or even years. But one thing is certain: the days of children and adults freely messaging each other on Roblox are coming to an end. And given the documented cases of abuse that system enabled, that’s probably overdue.