Roblox Corporation has announced that users in India will be required to complete an age check to chat with others. Roblox has a significant child user base, with over half of its daily active users being under the age of 17. As of late 2024, a significant share of Roblox’s user base consists of minors, with around 56% of its daily active users under the age of 17. This younger audience is spread across age groups, with children under 9 accounting for 20% of users, those aged 9 to 12 making up another 20%, and teenagers between 13 and 16 years representing 16% of the platform’s daily active users.
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Roblox began requiring the age check for chat access in December in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, following its phased rollout announcement in November. To date, over 50% of daily active users in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands have already completed the age check. Globally, tens of millions of users have already completed the age check, and Roblox anticipates many more to follow. The phased roll-out of the feature has begun in The United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Netherland, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and India.
“Our commitment to safety is rooted in delivering the highest level of protection for our users,” said Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox. “By building proactive, age-based barriers, we can empower users to create and connect in ways that are both safe and appropriate.”
The safety of children on Roblox has often been debated, and have also led to several countries banning the platform in the past. Reports indicate that certain criminal networks, including groups referred to as 764 and CVLT, have misused platforms such as Roblox to engage in the online grooming of minors. Since 2018, law enforcement agencies in the United States have arrested at least 30 individuals in connection with cases involving the abduction or sexual abuse of children following such online interactions.
In addition to the above, Roblox’s business model has also come under scrutiny from researchers and media commentators. A screengrab published by People Make Games of the Roblox marketplace highlighted concerns that users are not always clearly warned before spending real-world money on in-game purchases. Critics argue that the platform’s design makes microtransactions easy to access, raising questions about whether sufficient safeguards are in place for younger users. Adding to the criticism, Professor Jane Juffer of Cornell University has accused Roblox of encouraging consumerist behaviour among children. Observers have pointed to multiple instances in which minors have reportedly spent significant amounts on in-game purchases without their parents’ prior knowledge, intensifying calls for clearer disclosures and stronger parental controls.
Roblox claims that the newly added age checks are private, fast, and secure, and completed through the app using the device’s camer. Images and videos completed through Facial Age Estimation are securely processed by the platform’s vendor, Persona, and deleted immediately after processing. Users age 13 and up can also choose to verify their age through ID verification. While age checks are optional, features like chat will not be accessible unless an age check is complete.
