Roblox, the global youth gaming platform currently under fire for widespread child safety concerns, is rolling out mandatory age checks for all users who want to chat on the platform.
Roblox’s site-wide age estimation feature was announced in November, utilizing AI age estimation tech provided by third-party vendor Persona that relies on on-device cameras. The system then assigns users to one of six categories: Under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21+. The tech was initially launched as part of a verified chat tool for users 13-17 years old.
Starting today (Jan. 7), that process will be required for all users in areas where chat functions are available.
“As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety,” wrote Matt Kaufman, Roblox Chief Safety Officer, and Rajiv Bhatia, head of user and discovery product, in a blog post.
According to the platform, millions have already completed voluntary age checks since the feature launched. In regions where age checks were already required — Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands — Roblox says more than 50 percent of all users have opted in to age-verified chat.
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Roblox says it plans to expand mandatory age estimation to real-time collaboration features in Roblox Studio, and will be updating its Roblox community policies.
Credit: Roblox
The site, which saw 151 million daily users in 2025, is home to nearly half of the entire U.S. population under 16 years old.
Roblox has been systematically overhauling its chat features and bulking up its parental control tools in response to safety concerns, including activity monitoring, expanded blocking options, and chat moderation.
Still, many are skeptical that Roblox’s expanded age checks and other safety features will effectively tamp down the proliferation of child exploitation and predators on the platform. Some contend that the technology has too much room for error — developers Persona and Roblox executives say age estimation is accurate within a margin of two years, and works better for younger users.
In addition to multiple lawsuits filed by state attorneys general, Roblox is facing nearly 80 lawsuits by victims and parents that allege the platform did not do enough to prevent child sexual exploitation or warn users of risks. Several of the cases also name Meta, Discord, and Snapchat, sites where victims were directed to continue inappropriate conversations started on Roblox. The cases are set to be centralized before a single district judge in a San Francisco. Roblox has disputed the claims.
