Today, Roblox announced it will soon require facial recognition-based age verification from its players to unlock communication features. Beginning in the first week of December, starting with Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, and the rest of the world in 2026, this new security feature is the latest effort from the company to make it a safer platform for children.
"All users can now voluntarily go through the Facial Age Estimation process to secure their access to communication features," it wrote in a new blog post. "During the first week of December, we’ll begin enforcing the age check requirement in select markets including Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Those requirements will extend to the rest of the world wherever chat is available in early January."
With this decision, Roblox claims it is "ushering in [a] new safety standard," and says "this innovation supports age-based chat and limits communication between minors and adults."
Following the passing of new legislation in the UK, Discord implemented its own facial recognition age verification for its British users. Facial recognition that was immediately tricked with nothing more than a copy of Death Stranding.
Of course, Roblox's verification could fare much better, but while this new measure could do what the company claims it can do, it's by no means a perfect solution.
"As the internet has matured, technological advancements in safety and security have steadily shifted the industry's approach to age assurance. While initial efforts relied on simple self-declared age to manage access to features, the industry has since progressed to behavioral based methods," the blog continues.
"Today, Roblox is going further. We’re unlocking chat and age-appropriate experiences for our users by requiring them to complete an age check through Facial Age Estimation or ID verification1. Once the age check is complete, users will only be allowed to chat with others in similar age groups, unless they become Trusted Connections with people they know.
This initiative is designed to provide even more age-appropriate experiences for all users, which we believe will improve interactions for users of all ages on Roblox."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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