Roblox rolls out mandatory facial age verification for chat access worldwide

August 30, 2026 · mediapost.com

This week, Roblox began requiring facial age verification for anyone who wants to use chat features on the platform, expanding a system it tested with facial-recognition technology in December. Users must grant the Roblox app camera access and complete a step-by-step verification process handled by Persona, a third-party vendor; Roblox says it deletes the images and videos once verification is complete. The company is also watching for behavior that suggests a user is significantly older or younger than their stated age, and will prompt a repeat check when it sees a mismatch. Users can appeal a facial estimate they believe is wrong, and parents can update their child's age directly. Verified accounts fall into one of six bands, under 9, 9 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, and 21 and older, and chat access is limited to a user's own band plus the ones directly above and below; children under 9 are excluded from chat entirely unless a parent grants access.

Brand campaigns on Roblox now sit inside a platform where user growth and engagement are accelerating: Gamefam's end-of-year report found Roblox's user base grew 70% over 2024 to 152 million daily active users, with Gen Z and Gen Alpha spending an average of 2.7 hours a day on the platform, more than they spend on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. Brand games and campaigns on Roblox rose from 400 in 2024 to over 600 in 2025, drawing 2.8 billion visits and 32.6 billion minutes played. Tighter chat controls change how younger audiences interact on the platform without reducing the reach or time-on-platform that is drawing more brand activity into Roblox each year.