Roblox is introducing a new safety measure aimed at protecting its young users amid a recent increase in lawsuits against the popular children's gaming platform.
The Roblox Corporation announced Tuesday that the platform will roll out age checks for its approximately 151 million users and an optional, age-based chat feature, so minor users will only be allowed to chat with other minors who are similar in age, and not adult users.
"By requiring facial age checks to access chat features, we're helping create an age-appropriate environment for every user, and we encourage the broader industry to adopt similar standards," Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said in a statement.
The new safety measure comes as Roblox faces criticism and at least 35 lawsuits alleging users meet and abuse children on the gaming platform or that the platform helps facilitate child sexual exploitation and grooming.
Earlier this month, a judge in California denied an attempt by Roblox to force a dispute brought by a father into a private resolution process.
States have also brought legal action against Roblox, and Florida's attorney general subpoenaed the company for information about the platform's age verification and chat moderation policies.
"We are deeply troubled by any allegations about harms to children online and are committed to setting the industry standard for safety," a spokesperson for Roblox told ABC News previously. "To protect our users, we have rigorous, industry-leading policies, including limiting chat for younger users and employing advanced filters designed to block the sharing of personal information. Roblox also does not allow users to share images or videos. We also collaborate closely with law enforcement."
To perform an age check, which Roblox promises is "fast, easy and secure," users will need to use the platform's Facial Age Estimation technology and use the platform app and their phone or computer camera to scan their face or provide a valid form of ID to Roblox to verify.
Parents can also confirm and modify their child's birthday on their child's Roblox profile.
Roblox said it will then divide users into appropriate age groups: children under 9 years old, children between 9 and 12 years old, between 13 and 15, between 16 and 17, between 18 and 20, and adults 21 and over.
For minor players under 9, Roblox said the chat feature in the platform's experiences will automatically be turned off by default unless the minor's parent provides consent after an age check.
Roblox players are also allowed to add "trusted connections," or other users who may be a different age and wouldn't otherwise be able to chat with them. An example Roblox offered was if two siblings both played Roblox and wanted to chat, the older sibling could add the young one as a "trusted connection" in the platform.
The company expects to enforce the age requirements starting in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in December and the rest of the world in January 2026.
Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect the correct total of daily active Roblox users.
