Children in Australia will soon be blocked from chatting with adult strangers on Roblox, one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms, as the company rolls out an expanded set of safety measures.
Mandatory age checks for accounts using chat features will begin in December for Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, before extending globally in January.
Roblox has faced criticism for allowing children access to inappropriate content and communications with adults, and it is currently facing lawsuits over child safety concerns in multiple US states.
The timing of the launch coincides with Australia’s planned social media ban for under-16s, with the government under pressure to include gaming platforms like Roblox.
In March, Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki told the BBC that the company takes extensive measures to protect children but urged parents to trust their instincts.
“My first message would be, if you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox,” he said. “That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions.”
Rani Govender, policy manager for child safety online at the NSPCC, welcomed the platform’s announcement but emphasized the need for real change.
“Young people have been exposed to unacceptable risks on Roblox, leaving many vulnerable to harm and online abuse,” she said. “We call on Roblox to ensure they deliver change for children in practice and prevent adult perpetrators from targeting and manipulating young users.”
Roblox averaged more than 80 million daily players in 2024, with around 40% under the age of 13. The UK’s Online Safety Act imposes strict requirements on tech companies to protect children, with Ofcom overseeing enforcement.
Anna Lucas, online safety supervision director at Ofcom, praised the new age-checking measures, “Platforms must now take steps to keep kids safe, and we’re ensuring they meet their responsibilities. There’s more to do, but change is happening.”
In the US, Roblox faces lawsuits in Texas, Kentucky, and Louisiana over child safety concerns. The company plans to become the first major gaming platform to require facial age verification for accessing chat features.
Roblox’s chief safety officer, Matt Kaufman, told a press briefing that the age estimation technology is “pretty accurate” and can estimate ages within one to two years for users aged five to 25.
Users who verify their age will be placed in categories: under nine, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21+.
Chat will be restricted to users within the same age group, unless someone is added as a “trusted connection” with people they already know. Children under 13 will still need parental permission to send private messages or join certain chats.
Roblox’s new system comes after concerns about adults contacting younger players.
In a BBC test earlier this year, a 27-year-old and a 15-year-old on unlinked devices were able to exchange messages. The company noted that users often try to bypass rules by moving conversations to other platforms.
Facial age checks will use the device camera within the Roblox app. Images are processed by an external provider and deleted immediately after verification.
Parents can continue to manage their child’s account, including updating ages after verification. Roblox already restricts image and video sharing in chats and limits links to external sites.
The company says the new system will create more age-appropriate experiences and expects other firms to adopt similar methods. Campaign groups ParentsTogether Action and UltraViolet recently held a virtual protest inside Roblox, delivering a digital petition signed by more than 12,000 people calling for stronger child-safety measures. “Roblox must stop being a playground for predators,” the groups declared.
