Roblox will require facial-photo or ID-based age verification for access to chat, starting in early December in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands and expanding globally in January. The system places accounts into six age bands to prevent under-nines from chatting without parental permission and to limit adult–minor contact. Verification is handled by Persona inside the Roblox app, and Roblox says verification images and short videos will be deleted immediately after processing. The move arrives as several countries tighten rules around children’s access to social platforms.
Roblox to Require Facial or ID Age Checks for Chat — Global Rollout Begins in December
Roblox will require facial-photo or ID-based age verification for access to chat, starting in early December in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands and expanding globally in January. The system places accounts into six age bands to prevent under-nines from chatting without parental permission and to limit adult–minor contact. Verification is handled by Persona inside the Roblox app, and Roblox says verification images and short videos will be deleted immediately after processing. The move arrives as several countries tighten rules around children’s access to social platforms.
08:28 AM, 11/19/2025Technology
Roblox Corp will introduce mandatory age verification for its chat features, requiring users to submit a facial photo or identity documents to confirm their age. The company says the change is designed to prevent children under nine from accessing chat without parental consent and to reduce interactions between adults and minors online.
Rollout plan
The verification requirement for joining chats will begin in the first week of December in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, with a broader global rollout planned for early January. Players can opt in to age checks now on a voluntary basis before the requirement takes effect.
How verification works
Roblox has partnered with ID-verification firm Persona to perform facial age estimations inside the Roblox app. Users will be asked to take a photo of their face or upload ID documents; Persona will estimate or verify age and Roblox says images and any short video used for verification will be deleted "immediately" after processing.
Age bands and chat access
The system will assign accounts to one of six age bands, from under-nines to 21 and over. Roblox says chat and other age-restricted features will only be accessible after a completed age check, though other parts of the platform remain available without verification.
Policy context and concerns
The change comes as governments move to tighten online protections for children. Australia's new law restricting under-16s from joining major social media services takes effect on December 10 and imposes significant fines for platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to detect and deactivate underage accounts. Roblox is currently listed among platforms exempt from that social media law, but regulators say they retain the right to require compliance if necessary.
Experts warn that online age verification presents technical and privacy challenges, and some technology companies have criticized aspects of recent legislation as ill-defined or rushed. Roblox frames its approach as an industry-first step toward safer in-app communications, while emphasizing data deletion policies for verification images and videos.
Where this matters
The verification will affect Roblox's large and often young user base worldwide, particularly in countries rolling out the checks first. Parents and guardians should review the new requirements and decide whether to opt in before the mandatory rollout.