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Roblox is preparing to introduce one of the biggest safety overhauls in its history, bringing in compulsory age verification checks and new chat restrictions that will prevent children from talking to adult strangers. The changes begin rolling out in December for Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, before expanding worldwide early next year.

This marks the first time a major gaming platform will require facial age estimation or ID verification to access chat features, setting what Roblox calls a new industry standard for online child safety.

Why Roblox Is Making the Change

Roblox has faced years of criticism from parents, charities and regulators over child safety issues. With more than 80 million daily players in 2024, and about 40 percent of them younger than 13, the platform has dealt with lawsuits in several US states and reports of inappropriate content, grooming risks and extremist material slipping through.

Regulators have also increased pressure. The UK’s Online Safety Act introduced strict rules for protecting children online, and Australia is preparing to enforce a social media ban for under-16s, with calls to include gaming platforms such as Roblox.

Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman says the goal is to create a safer and more age-appropriate experience for everyone. “Our priority is safety and civility,” he told reporters, noting that users will soon need to verify their age if they want to communicate on the platform.

How the New Age Verification System Works

Roblox will require users to either upload an ID or complete a facial age estimation process using the device’s front camera. The verification tool, provided by identity technology firm Persona, asks players to turn their heads slightly to confirm that a real person is being scanned.

Roblox says:

  • Images and video are processed externally.
  • All footage is deleted immediately after the check.
  • No images are stored or used for any other purpose.

Once verified, users are assigned to one of six age bands:

  • Under 9
  • 9 to 12
  • 13 to 15
  • 16 to 17
  • 18 to 20
  • 21+

Players will then only be able to chat with people in or near their own age group. For example, a 12-year-old can chat with users 15 and younger, but not 16 and older. Under-13s will still face restrictions on private messages unless a parent gives permission.

Roblox says the technology can usually estimate ages within one to two years for people aged 5 to 25.

What Changes for Chat and Social Features

Age-Based Chatting

Chat between minors and adults who don’t know each other will be blocked. Players can still talk across age groups if they add each other as “Trusted Connections”, a system intended for friends, siblings or family members who know each other in real life.

Younger Players Get Stricter Limits

  • Chat is turned off by default for users under nine, unless a parent opts in.
  • External links are heavily restricted.
  • Image and video sharing in chat remains banned.

Future Restrictions

Early next year, Roblox will also require age checks before players can access social media links on profiles or game pages, tightening existing rules.

Roblox says every chat message is monitored using a mix of human review and AI, and filtered differently depending on the user’s age.

Growing Pressure and Rising Concerns

The safety update follows several high-profile reports and lawsuits accusing Roblox of failing to protect young users. Charities have long warned that children can still encounter inappropriate content or contact adults despite existing safeguards.

Rani Govender from the NSPCC said young users have been exposed to “unacceptable risks” on the platform. Regulators like Ofcom have praised the new age checks, calling them a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, campaign groups ParentsTogether Action and UltraViolet are staging a virtual protest inside Roblox, delivering a petition signed by more than 12,000 people demanding better protection for children.

But the Community Is Furious

While safety advocates have welcomed the update, many Roblox players and developers are calling it a disaster.

On social media, thousands of users have expressed frustration, confusion or outright anger. Complaints range from privacy fears to concerns that the changes will break the core experience of Roblox’s multiplayer games.

Some of the strongest reactions include:

  • Concerns that predators could simply lie about their age.
  • Worries that gameplay in strategy, roleplay and team-based experiences will collapse if players in different age groups can’t communicate.
  • Fears about forced facial scans and ID collection.
  • Confusion about how older siblings or relatives will chat together during games.

Roblox developers, including Jack Jennings, say the rules will “break gameplay across thousands of games”, pointing out that public chat is crucial for games built around teamwork, roleplay or community decision-making.

Another common criticism is that the changes target the wrong problem. Players argue the issue is not adults talking to minors, but Roblox failing to permanently ban users who behave inappropriately.

Will the Update Actually Make Roblox Safer?

Experts are divided.

Supporters say age-based chat is a meaningful step toward preventing unmonitored contact between adults and children. Blocking strangers from cross-age communication could reduce the risk of grooming and inappropriate messages.

Critics argue it may have unintended consequences, such as:

  • Predators faking ages to access younger age groups.
  • Older players being unable to help or protect younger users in public servers.
  • Dev communities losing access to their player base.
  • Teenagers losing communication with friends who fall just outside their age bracket.

Some parents also worry about privacy, even though Roblox insists face data is not stored.

What Happens Next

Roblox is launching voluntary age checks now, before enforcement begins in early December for New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands. The rest of the world will follow in early 2026.

Roblox says it expects other platforms to adopt similar verification systems, calling this “the gold standard” for online communication safety. Whether the community agrees remains to be seen.

For now, one thing is clear: chat on Roblox is about to change dramatically, and the debate around safety, privacy and player freedom is just getting started.