Roblox to Enforce Facial Verification and Age-Based Chat Restrictions in 2026
Reporter
November 20, 2025 | 04:28 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Roblox will soon require players to undergo facial verification to access its chat and messaging features. The platform is also introducing age-restricted chat systems that limit interactions to users within similar age groups.
Starting November 18, 2025, users can voluntarily try out the new verification system. Mandatory age verification will roll out in early December in select countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, before expanding globally a month later.
These changes, planned for early 2026, follow legal scrutiny and investigations into child safety. The move comes after lawsuits from attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana, which accused Roblox of exposing young users to grooming, malicious intent, and sexual content.
During the verification process, users grant camera access and follow on-screen instructions. Roblox assures that all images or videos are deleted after verification. The third-party provider handling the process, Persona, also guarantees that data will be erased once verification is complete.
After verification, users will be assigned to one of six age groups: under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21 or older. Communication is limited to the same or adjacent age groups.
For example, a 12-year-old can interact with users up to 15 years old but cannot connect with users aged 16 and above.
"We see these changes as a way to help ensure users are able to socialize with others in age groups that are appropriate, but also help limit contact between minors and adults that they do not know," said Raj Bhatia, Vice President and Head of User Product at Roblox, as reported by TechCrunch on November 18, 2025.
Roblox emphasizes that facial verification is more accurate than relying solely on birth-year input. The company has also launched a new Safety Center to guide parents and caregivers and offers robust parental control features.
"We believe that this is something that is first for a company like Roblox in the gaming space and social media and messaging to require explicit age estimation before anybody has access to communication," said Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s Head of Security.
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