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Roblox Sets Facial Age Checks for Chat, With Mandatory Rollout Starting in December

The company says AI age estimation run by Persona will limit contact between children and adults by placing users into strict age groups.

Overview

  • Age checks are available now on a voluntary basis and will be required in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands in early December, with global enforcement in chat markets by early January 2026.
  • Users must verify via a live selfie or government ID, after which they are assigned to one of six age cohorts; chat for accounts under 9 is off by default unless a parent approves.
  • Roblox says Persona processes selfie videos and images and deletes them after the check, and private chats are not end‑to‑end encrypted so they can be moderated.
  • Executives describe typical accuracy within one to two years for younger users and third‑party testing reported a mean absolute error of about 1.37 years, with fraud checks to detect spoofing.
  • The shift follows lawsuits, state subpoenas and advocacy pressure over child safety, including a planned virtual protest calling for stronger default protections.