Roblox implements new age verification for chat features: What the new facial age checks mean for kids, parents and moderators

Roblox, the global online game and social platform with more than 150 million daily users, has announced a major update to how users can communicate: a new age-based chat system that uses facial age-estimation and other age-verification methods to limit conversations between children and much older users. The company says the change prompted by lawsuits and growing scrutiny of child safety online will place users into narrow age cohorts (for example: under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20 and 21+) and block most cross-age private chats unless specific trust or parental-consent steps are taken. Roblox frames the move as a new industry safety standard and plans a phased rollout starting in December 2025 (pilot markets) with global enforcement in January 2026. The following article explains wha