> At a Glance
> – Roblox is rolling out mandatory facial verification for any user who wants to chat
> – Kids under 9 can’t chat at all unless a parent gives post-verification consent
> – The move follows lawsuits from Texas and Louisiana over child-safety failures
> – Why it matters: Players who refuse the scan (or ID upload) lose the ability to communicate inside the platform
Roblox is locking its chat behind a biometric gate. Every player who wants to talk or text must now prove their age with a real-time selfie-or, for 13-plus users, a government ID-after the company lost two state lawsuits alleging it exposed minors to grooming and explicit content.
How the New Check Works
Open the app, grant camera access, and follow Persona’s on-screen prompts. The third-party vendor converts the selfie into an age estimate, then deletes the footage, Roblox says. Players who fail the scan-or think the system mis-aged them-can appeal with ID verification or have a parent update the account.
- Under-9 accounts have chat disabled by default; only a verified parent can switch it on
- 13-plus users may skip the selfie and upload an ID instead
- Refusing either method keeps the account active but removes all chat features
Age Buckets Determine Who You Can Talk To
Once verified, users are locked into six age brackets: under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, 21+. Players can chat only with their own bracket and the ones immediately above or below. A 12-year-old, for example, can speak with under-9 and 13-15 users but not with anyone 16 or older.
| Age Bracket | Can Chat With |
|---|---|
| Under 9 | Under 9, 9-12 (parent opt-in required) |
| 9-12 | Under 9, 9-12, 13-15 |
| 13-15 | 9-12, 13-15, 16-17 |
| 16-17 | 13-15, 16-17, 18-20 |
| 18-20 | 16-17, 18-20, 21+ |
| 21+ | 18-20, 21+ |
Roblox says it will periodically re-verify accounts when behavioral signals suggest the user is “significantly older or younger” than the stated age.
Key Takeaways
- Chat is opt-in now-no verification, no talking
- The selfie data is deleted after Persona processes it, according to both companies
- Under-9 players remain silenced by default unless a parent explicitly unlocks chat
- The policy lands while Texas and Louisiana lawsuits over child safety are still active
A single selfie-or a driver’s license-now decides who gets to speak inside Roblox’s 70-million-plus daily-user world.
