Roblox unveils global facial age checks to access chat

Roblox is rolling out mandatory facial age verification for users who want to access chat features worldwide, expanding from an earlier limited launch in December.

The platform, which hosts online games and user-generated content, now requires users to complete an age check before chatting, with implementation reaching all regions over the next week.

The system groups users by age and restricts chat between adults and children under 16, with parental consent needed for those under 9.

Roblox said that over half of daily users in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands have completed the process since its regional launch.

The company uses a third-party vendor, Persona, for facial age estimation and deletes images and videos after processing, according to its privacy policy.

Users can appeal age check results through ID verification or parental controls.

🔗 Source: Roblox

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Roblox age-gated chat needs DAU mix for revenue impact

To judge how mandatory age checks affect time spent and bookings (sales of virtual currency plus other in-experience purchases) analysts need the DAU age mix for under 13, 13–17, 18+. As of December 2024, 40% of Roblox users were 12 or younger 1. Roblox has not shared precise DAU splits by age, which makes it hard to model how many users will hit new friction or chat limits.
Without baseline chat usage data, market watchers cannot estimate whether this change will move the 88.7 billion engagement hours reported in the first three quarters of 2025 2. Chat-heavy sessions carry more risk, while gameplay-first habits may hold up.

Age assurance vendors can map UK Ofcom timelines to plan for broad adoption

Roblox’s move points to age assurance (processes to verify or estimate a user’s age) becoming standard on youth platforms. Vendors like Persona and backers can track UK Ofcom, the country’s communications regulator, as it enforces the Online Safety Act that mandates highly effective age checks by July 25, 2025 3. That timing helps shape launch plans and flags when demand may jump as non-compliant platforms face fines up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover 3.
Social, gaming, and video services likely accessed by children must add robust age checks or face strict enforcement 3. That opens a clear market for age estimation and parental consent tools. Vendors can scale across the UK, the EU, and other regions.