Roblox Takes Major Step to Protect Young Users with Age Verification System
In a significant move addressing growing child safety concerns, Roblox is implementing comprehensive age verification checks designed to prevent children from communicating with adults on its platform. The popular gaming platform, which recently broke records with 47.3 million concurrent users, has faced increasing pressure from petitions, lawsuits, and investigations regarding child protection.
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton notably accused Roblox of "putting pixel paedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children" in a recent lawsuit, though the company has denied all allegations. The new safety measures represent Roblox's proactive response to these mounting concerns about online safety for younger players.
How the New Age Verification System Works
The verification process, announced on Tuesday November 19, 2025, utilises a system called Persona that requires users to submit a video selfie for age assessment. Roblox employs Facial Age Estimation technology to analyse these submissions, with the company assuring that any images or video are deleted immediately after processing.
Once verified, players are assigned to specific age brackets that determine who they can communicate with:
- Under 9 (requires additional parental consent to chat)
- 9-12
- 13-15
- 16-17
- 18-20
- Over 21
Players aged 13 and above can communicate outside their age group by adding contacts as Trusted Connections, which requires mutual consent from both parties. The platform also plans to introduce direct chat functionality between parents and children under 13, as well as between siblings in different age categories.
Rollout Schedule and UK Implementation
The age verification system is currently available voluntarily worldwide but will become mandatory for chat functionality in the coming months. Starting December 2025, verification will be compulsory in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, with global expansion scheduled for early January 2026.
For UK users, the implications are clear: beginning next year, players who haven't verified their age will be unable to communicate with others on the platform. While they can still access and play Roblox games, the social chat features will remain locked without age verification.
Roblox's chief safety officer Matt Kaufman addressed concerns about the accuracy of age estimation tools, stating the technology is "typically pretty accurate within one or two years" for users between five and 25 years old. Players who disagree with their age assessment can provide official identification or use parental consent to correct inaccuracies.
Expanding Safety Measures in 2026
The platform's commitment to age-appropriate experiences extends beyond chat functionality. Starting in early 2026, Roblox will require age verification to access social media links on user profiles, communities, and game experiences.
These new measures build upon existing protections, including monitored chat across the entire platform and strict filtering for users under 13 designed to block inappropriate content and personal information.
While these developments represent significant progress in online child safety, it remains uncertain whether they will satisfy critics and plaintiffs who have taken legal action against Roblox Corporation. The gaming giant continues to balance its massive popularity with increasing responsibility for protecting its youngest users in an evolving digital landscape.
