Gaming platform Roblox confirmed it will begin enforcing age checks in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands in the first week of December, ahead of a global rollout in early January.
The update means users who want to privately message others must verify their age, and from there will be placed into tightly defined chat groups based on age ranges.
The company, which has faced growing political, parental and legal pressure over child safety, says users will be required to take a video selfie to estimate their age using technology provided by Persona.
Roblox says these videos are deleted after processing and are only required for users who want to chat privately.
Chatting with adults will no longer be possible for kids
Children will no longer be able to communicate with adults on the platform under the new system. Kids, teens and adults will only be able to message people within or near their own age bracket. Age groups will include under nine, nine to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20 and over 21.
The move follows long-running criticism that Roblox exposes children to inappropriate content and adult interactions. In March, CEO Dave Baszucki told the BBC that parents worried about the service “should not let their children be on Roblox”.
Even with existing measures – including a rule that kids under 13 cannot chat outside games without parental approval – advocacy groups have argued that young players can still encounter adults and unsuitable material.
A wave of regulation reshapes the sector
Roblox’s timing is notable: Australia’s under-16 social media ban begins on December 10, though the platform is not currently listed as one of the initially restricted services.
A growing number of technology companies are shifting toward verification systems to meet new global standards. Google is testing an age-verification system for YouTube that uses AI to distinguish adults from minors based on their viewing patterns, while Instagram is trialling its own AI age-estimation tool.
Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman has defended the company’s approach, saying facial age estimation is accurate “within one or two years” for users aged roughly five to 25.