Roblox rolls out new age verification to keep children safer while gaming

Roblox is rolling out a new security feature aimed at protecting children who play and chat with strangers online, requiring users to complete a facial age check before accessing communication tools on the platform.

The move comes as parents increasingly worry about who their kids may be talking to while gaming. Roblox says the new system will help ensure children are only interacting with other users their own age.

Cristian and Elijah, two young cousins from San Diego, spend plenty of time playing baseball — and just as much time gaming online. Like many kids their age, Roblox is one of their go-to platforms.

“My favorite team is the Padres, and my favorite player is Fernando Tatís Jr.,” Elijah said.

Off the field, gaming has become a part of their routine.

“I’ve been gaming for a long time,” Cristian said. “Somewhere around last year, I got a Nintendo Switch, which was very cool.”

Cristian says he recently started playing Roblox. It’s what he considers the “big leagues” when it comes to gaming.

“When I started playing Roblox is during my birthday because I’m getting older, and Roblox is for an older kid,” he said with a proud smile of how far he’s come.

Their grandmother, Alejandra Abraham, explained how much she enjoys watching the boys share their gaming accomplishments with her. It helps her stay involved.

“They tell me, ‘Abue, look at the way I do that. Now, look at this, how I do that. And now look at this,'” she said, adding that the boys’ parents are also very limiting and vigilant when it comes to gaming.

Like many parents and caregivers, the family restricts online chats because of concerns over who kids may encounter.

Eliza Jacobs, a spokesperson for Roblox, said the company is now requiring facial age verification worldwide for users who want to communicate on the platform.

“We are announcing that all users on the platform globally will need to complete a facial age check process in order to access any communication features on the platform,” Jacobs said. “It will estimate your age, and then we’ll put that user in the right set of defaults and settings so that they can have an age-appropriate experience on the platform. And then we’ll immediately delete the images once we’ve done that.”

She acknowledged that no system is perfect and said this is why Roblox has additional safeguards in place.

“If we detect any reason to believe that the person who completed that check isn’t the person actually using that account, we’ll do it again. We’ll throw additional checks in there to really make sure that we have the right information and the right user has verified on that account,” she explained.

Jacobs also emphasized that parental involvement remains essential and encouraged families to use the platform’s built-in controls.

“If they open their own Roblox account and connect their account to their kids’ account, they’ll have access to the full set of parental controls from their own phone,” Jacobs said. “They’ll have visibility into who their kids are talking to and what they’re playing on the platform.”

She stressed the company hopes other gaming platforms will adopt similar safety measures as it continues to look for new ways to protect younger gamers.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.