Roblox's New Age Verification Rules: Mandatory Age Verification Implemented Globally – Chat Now Requires ID or Facial Scan
According to Engadget today, Roblox has announced strict new age verification rules: From now on, all users must submit government-issued ID or complete a facial age estimation scan to continue using the in-game chat function.
This policy will first be rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, with plans to roll it out globally in early 2026.
New "Age-Restricted Chat" System
Roblox divides users into six age groups:
9 years and under
10-12 years
13-15 years
16-17 years
18-20 years
21 years and over
Children and teenagers can only chat with players of the same or adjacent age groups, significantly limiting cross-age interaction.
Unlike most social platforms that restrict the minimum age to 13, Roblox has always allowed younger children to use the platform. For users without ID cards, Roblox has partnered with identity verification company Persona to offer a facial age estimation service based on video selfies within the Roblox app. The company states that facial images are deleted immediately after processing.
While Roblox has not released specific accuracy rates, Chief Security Officer Matt Kaufman stated that the system is “quite accurate” in estimating ages between 5 and 25, typically with an error margin of 1 to 2 years. A Roblox spokesperson added that in testing with the UK Age Verification Scheme (ACCS), Persona’s model had an average absolute error of 1.4 years for users under 18.
Parents can also manually change their child’s date of birth within parental controls.
Timeline and Future Restrictions
Users can now voluntarily verify their identity to retain chat privileges.
All users must comply with this rule from January 2026.
Users in the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand must comply by early December 2025.
In 2026, Roblox also plans to impose age restrictions on the following activities:
Clicking external social media links
Using Roblox Studio (game creation tool)
Despite Roblox updating its child safety measures multiple times in recent years, it continues to face severe criticism and lawsuits. Currently, the platform is being sued in Texas, Louisiana, and Kentucky, accused of failing to effectively prevent adults from contacting minors.
These new measures appear to be a direct response to increasing regulatory and legal pressure worldwide.
The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.
