Roblox rolls out mandatory worldwide facial age verification checks to use its chat features

Roblox has begun rolling out mandatory facial age checks for anyone who wants to use its chat features, in what the company is calling a new “gold standard” for communication safety after several child safety controversies.

The details:

• As outlined in a new blog post, to access any chat features on the platform, users must complete an age-check process in the Roblox app by granting camera access and following on-screen prompts so their face can be scanned and assessed by facial age estimation technology provided by third-party vendor Persona. The new requirement is now live globally wherever Roblox chat is available, following several tests in countries including Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands late last year.
• Roblox says images and videos captured during verification are deleted after processing, and Persona claims that it also deletes the biometric data once the estimation process has been completed. Users aged 13 and over can opt to verify using government-issued ID, bypassing the face check, while those under nine years old will also require parental approval to unlock chat access.

Roblox

• Once verified, players are placed into six age bands: under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21+. Players can only chat with users in their own or adjacent age brackets, unless they are added as “Trusted Connections,” a feature that is designed to be used by users who know each other in person.