Immersive gaming and creation platform Roblox has announced that users in India will be required to complete an age check before using the chat function. This makes Roblox the first major online gaming platform to introduce age verification for all users in order to access chat. The measure is intended to support age-appropriate communication and reduce interactions between adults and minors.
Roblox introduced age verification for chat access in December in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, following its phased rollout announcement in November. More than half of daily active users in those countries have already completed the process. Globally, tens of millions of users have undertaken age checks, with further uptake expected. The phased rollout has now begun in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and India.
Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman said, “Our commitment to safety is rooted in delivering the highest level of protection for our users. By building proactive, age-based barriers, we can empower users to create and connect in ways that are both safe and appropriate.”
Age checks are carried out through the Roblox app using the device camera. Images and videos used for facial age estimation are processed by the vendor Persona and deleted once the process is complete. Users aged 13 and above may also verify their age through identification documents. Age checks are optional, but certain features such as chat cannot be accessed without completing one.
Roblox provides customer support and appeal processes for users to report inaccuracies. Users who wish to challenge the outcome of an age check can verify their age through alternative methods, including identification documents or parental controls that allow parents to update a child’s age. The company continues to monitor behaviour after the initial check, using multiple signals to assess whether a user appears significantly older or younger than expected. In such cases, Roblox will begin requiring users to repeat the age‑check process.
Once an age check is completed, users are placed into one of six groups: under nine, nine–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20 and 21plus. By default, each group can communicate with its own members as well as those in the groups immediately above and below.
To safeguard Roblox’s youngest users, chat is turned off by default for children under age nine, unless a parent provides consent after an age check.
