Roblox makes facial age checks mandatory for chat

Roblox introduced facial age estimation for a limited set of features in July 2025 and required it for all chat access in November 2025, according to James Kay, the company’s senior director of international communications. The company says the technology is one part of a wider program of safety updates that began with new parental controls in November 2024.

The facial age system places users into age brackets and restricts chat to people in the same bracket or an adjacent bracket. Roblox reports the estimator’s average margin of error is about 1.4 years. The company says the bracket design aims to limit interactions between widely separated age groups while allowing age-appropriate social grouping.

Roblox provided a demographic breakdown it uses to shape safety features: roughly one third of users are under 13, just over one third are 13 to 17, and just under one third are 18 or older. Kay said that mix requires different safeguards than platforms aimed mainly at adults and that verifying age at scale presented technical challenges.

Kay noted the company monitors attempts to bypass safety systems and updates controls when circumvention is detected. He highlighted that misclassification can affect user experience as well as safety, because an underage account placed in an older bracket may lose access to peers.

Roblox has encouraged parents to create linked parent accounts, set available parental controls and supervise play. The company lists parental controls for selecting which games a child can access, whom they can chat with and spending limits. Kay recommended parents play with their children to understand the games and social environments they encounter.

On regulatory changes, Roblox said it will review formal requirements once published for a proposed UK restriction on social media access for under-16s. Kay drew a distinction between gaming platforms and social media services and said the company often implements protections beyond regulatory minimums. The company added that age checks have been rolled out in many regions even where not formally required.

Kay commented on the creator community’s role in adjusting to platform changes, saying creators are likely to find ways to keep players informed and engaged. “A lot of what we’ve been doing is very, very safety-focused,” he said, and later added that creators are “a very, very inspiring bunch.”

Roblox described safety work as ongoing, with regular updates and further adjustments planned as new needs arise. The company said it will continue to monitor performance and make technical changes to improve age verification and related controls.