What’s Changing on Roblox
The global gaming platform Roblox is introducing a significant safety update: children will no longer be able to chat with adult strangers unless certain protections are in place. Starting December 2025 in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands — and globally from January 2026 — the platform will roll out age‑based chat restrictions using a new facial age estimation system. Under the new framework, users will be categorised into age brackets (under 9, 9‑12, 13‑15, 16‑17, 18‑20, 21+) and children will be permitted to chat only with others in their age group or closely adjacent groups. For example, a 12‑year‑old would not be able to initiate a conversation with a 21‑year‑old stranger.
Why Roblox Says It’s Doing This
The update comes as part of Roblox’s response to mounting pressure over child‑safety issues and legal litigation. The company’s internal documents and external reports have highlighted the risks of adult strangers interacting with minor users. Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer, Matt Kaufman, said the changes aim to “build confidence” in the platform and reduce the risk of children being approached by adults they don’t know. “We see it as a way for our users to have more trust in who the other people they are talking with are in these games.”
How the Age Verification Works
The system is optional for account access but mandatory for users who want full chat features.
- A user may be asked to complete a “video selfie” age‑check powered by a third‑party (Persona) to estimate their age.
- If the age estimate falls outside a confident range, users can submit ID or require parental consent.
- Uploaded images or videos are reportedly not stored after the check is completed.
What This Means for Players and Parents
- Children under 13 will continue to face the strictest limits: chat features remain controlled, often requiring parental activation.
- For parents, this is a step toward more robust protections, but not a full substitute for supervision. Some experts warn that automated checks are imperfect and should be paired with active parental involvement.
- For the platform, the move signals greater regulatory alignment as governments around the world push for stricter online protections for minors.
Challenges and Limitations
- Accuracy of facial age estimation: While Roblox claims the system can estimate ages between 5 and 25 within a “one to two years” margin, experts caution about false positives and the implications for younger users.
- Enforcement and user behaviour: Age verification does not guarantee that all users will behave safely. Monitoring, moderation and user education remain critical.
- Privacy concerns: Some users and parents are wary of using facial verification, even though the data is not stored.
- Global rollout and consistency: The policy begins in select countries but will need consistent global application to be fully effective.
Why It Matters
Roblox has over 150 million daily users and a substantial proportion are under 13. In platforms with large child audiences, the risk of predatory behaviour is amplified — especially when chat and social features allow interaction between minors and adults. This update is one of the more significant moves in the online‑gaming sector toward restricting adult‑child interactions in chat. In Australia (and globally) where online safety laws are becoming stricter, such changes are likely to influence industry standards and regulatory expectations.
The Bottom Line
Roblox’s move to block children from chatting with adult strangers represents a major development in child‑safety for online gaming. While not a perfect solution, it raises the bar for how platforms can manage user‑communications based on age. For parents and guardians: this is a moment to revisit account settings, understand the changes, and talk with children about safe online behaviour. For Roblox and other platforms: the real work begins now in enforcement, transparency and maintaining trust.
