Roblox Introduces Mandatory Age Verification to Lock Down Chat
I have written about Roblox several times, offering advice to parents, as it has been a popular attraction for children for several years now, with millions of children engaging with it.
It has also been a concern for online safety advocates like myself. The platform has a large mixed-age user base, which brings with it inherent risks regarding exposure to offensive content and contact with strangers and predators.
In response to these concerns and also likely the Online Safety Act, Roblox has just announced very welcome changes to its safety architecture in the form of mandatory age verification for all users who wish to access the chat feature. This is a major update and something that you will need to discuss with your child.
This update shifts the responsibility of identity verification to the users themselves, fundamentally changing how children interact and communicate on the platform.
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What is the New Update and How Does It Affect Your Child?
Roblox is implementing the mandatory age verification process to enforce strict access requirements to the chat feature of the platform. This is by far the biggest change to the platform'ss communication capabilities we have seen.
Mandatory Age Verification for Chat
All users must now verify their age if they wish to use chat features on Roblox. This verification can be completed by uploading a form of photo identification or, in some regions, by using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) age estimation tool.
If a user does not verify their age, their access to chat features will be limited or restricted completely.
Age-Gated Communication
Once a user’s age is verified (or estimated by AI), they will be placed into an age bucket (e.g., under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17). The platform’s chat filters will then be enforced based on this verified age
Users will only be allowed to chat with others in or near their age range. For example, a child verified as 12 years old will be prevented from communicating with users aged 16 and older. This aims to reduce the risk of minors being contacted by adult strangers.
Immediate Action Checklist for Parents
Roblox has been rolling out stronger parental tools over the past year (remote monitoring and contentlabellingg), although this new update requires you to be proactive.
Here is what you need to do right now:
| Step | Action Required | Why It Matters |
| Link Your Accounts | If you haven’t already, link your parent Roblox account to your child’s account. | This gives you remote access to the Parental Controls dashboard, allowing you to manage screen time, monitorfriends lists, and adjust security settings without needing their device. |
| Review Chat Defaults | Verify your child’s current communication settings. Remember that users under 13 are now prevented from direct messaging (DM) outside of games by default. | Use the parental controls to disable all direct chat for your younger children (13-15 age bracket) until you are confident they understand the risks of online communication. |
| Discuss Age Verification | Talk to your child about the new verification requirements and explain the purpose behind them. | If your child chooses to verify their age (via ID or AI), ensure you supervise the process and explain that the new restrictions are a security feature, not a punishment. |
| Check Content Filters | Ensure your Parental Controls are set to block access to experiences above your child’s age group. | Review the content labels (Minimal, Mild, Moderate, Restricted) and set the appropriate maximum experience level for your child. By default, children under 9 should only be accessing “Minimal” or “Mild” content. |
| Stay Vigilant | Tools are never enough. Parental involvement and ongoing, non-judgmental communication are the best firewalls. | Regularly ask your child who they are playing with, what they are building, and how a game made them feel. Keep the dialogue open. |
Mandatory age verification is a welcome, long-overdue step to help secure the platform, please remember that no system is 100% foolproof. A determined predator can always find ways around filters. Your ongoing communication with your child is still the most important layer of cyber safety protection.
Stay safe! Stay vigilant!
As always, thank you for your support. Please share this across your social media, and if you do have any comments, questions, or concerns, then feel free to reach out to me here or on BlueSky, as I am always happy to spend some time helping to protect children online.
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I'm glad they are finally making what looks like meaningful change. But for me it's too little too late, I will continue to try to persuade every parent I know to keep their kids far from this game. Mentors I have had over the years from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have always warned that the only adults they know on Roblox are predators and the company has seemingly always known that's true and not done anything about it.