Roblox is rolling out a stricter age verification system and age-based chat restrictions in response to criticism over child safety and increasing global regulations. The new system, announced in July, uses a video selfie for age assessment, which Roblox says is deleted after processing. This scan is mandatory only for private messaging, not for general platform use.
Children under 13 can only chat outside games with explicit parental permission. Unlike other platforms, Roblox does not encrypt private conversations, enabling monitoring and moderation. Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer, claims the system accurately estimates age within one to two years for users aged five to 25. He added that users who disagree with the estimate can provide an ID or use parental consent to correct it.
Following verification, users will be assigned to age brackets: under nine, nine to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, and over 21. Chat functionality will be restricted to interactions within their assigned group or similar age categories. The new measures will be enforced in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in the first week of December, before a global rollout in early January.
This move reflects a broader trend among tech companies, including Google and Instagram, to implement robust verification systems. It also comes amid a string of lawsuits against Roblox following accusations that it has become a “playground for predators”. Roblox stated that it has rigorous safety measures, including advanced AI models and a team of thousands moderating the platform 24/7, and that it is constantly innovating its safety systems.
Roblox says it has 111 million daily active users. The company said it implements strict safety defaults for its youngest users, including that users under 13 cannot directly message others outside of games or experiences unless the default setting is changed using parental controls. It also has text chat filters to block inappropriate words and attempts to share personal information.
