In addition to voluntary age verifications Roblox, which rolled out back in November to “limit communication between minors and adults,” has begun a “global rollout” of requiring users to verify their age before they can access chat.
Users in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands are already “required” to undergo age verification to chat with other users, but this requirement will now extend to “all regions where chat is available”, including the US. It's unclear how (or if) age-verified users will be able to chat with unverified users in the meantime.
Roblox says that with this change, “Roblox becomes the first major online gaming platform to require age verification for users of all ages to access chat,” adding, “This marks an important investment in user safety and ensures age-appropriate communication and limits communication between adults and minors.”
Once users complete age verification, they are placed into one of six age groups (under 7, 9-12, 13-15, 15-17, 18-20, and 21+) and by default can only communicate with players directly above and/or below their level. For example, a nine-year-old cannot communicate with anyone over the age of 13, but a 16-year-old can communicate with users between the ages of 13 and 20.
Roblox says it will also “continuously evaluate user behavior” to determine whether someone is acting significantly older or younger than expected, and anyone deemed to be at the wrong level will have to repeat the age verification process.
Currently, more than 50% of daily active users in the countries listed above have verified their age in the app's “private, fast and secure” age verification process through Persona, which removes any personal images or data “immediately after processing.”
Although age verification is voluntary, without it players will not be able to access the chat feature.
“Our commitment to security is based on providing the highest level of protection for our users,” said Matt Kaufman, Chief Security Officer of Roblox. “By creating proactive age barriers, we can empower users to create and connect in safe and appropriate ways.”
Over the past year, Roblox has been updating and adding new security features to its platform, including adding a content tag “sensitive issues” to its particularity of experience. In November 2024 it is introduced protections that meant children under 13 could no longer access direct messages in the platform's chats and limited the number of messages they could broadcast in games and apps.
