Roblox Rolls Out Mandatory Age Checks in India With Selfie Verification, ID Option and New Chat Rules

Roblox has begun rolling out mandatory age checks in India, requiring users to verify their age if they want to use chat features. The change part of a global rollout that started with pilot countries in December is aimed at keeping kids safer online by limiting who they can talk to and tailoring in-game experiences by age. It’s a major update to how the platform handles communication, and it’s already drawing both praise and criticism.

What’s changing (straight to the point)

• Who must verify: Any Roblox user in India who wants to use chat features will be prompted to complete an age check. The company is rolling the prompts out to all regions where chat exists over the course of the rollout.
• How the check works: Roblox uses facial age estimation (an AI model run by a third-party vendor, Persona) that asks users to take a selfie or upload a photo. If the estimation is disputed or fails, users aged 13+ can verify with an ID instead. Parents can also use parental controls to manage a child’s account.
• Age groups & chat rules: After verification, users are placed into one of several age brackets (for example: under-9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, 21+). Chat access is then limited mostly to users in the same or adjacent age groups a way to reduce adult/minor interactions. Trusted Connections can still allow wider communication only for people you personally know.

Why Roblox says it’s doing this

Roblox frames the change as safety-first: the platform wants to reduce the chances of minors being exposed to inappropriate conversations and to give parents and guardians clearer controls. The company points to tests in earlier pilot regions (Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands) where a majority of daily users completed checks, and says it plans to extend the system wherever chat is available.

The good: better age-appropriate spaces and parental controls

• Less adult-to-minor chat risk. By separating users into age buckets, Roblox reduces the chance that adults end up chatting with very young players in open chat.
• More features for verified users. Some features (like unfiltered chat, Party Voice, TeamCreate in Studio) require age checks so verification unlocks richer experiences while still trying to enforce safety.
• Parental involvement options. Parents can change age on a child’s account and manage Trusted Connections, giving families more control.

The concerns: accuracy, privacy and community impact

The rollout hasn’t been smooth everywhere. Critics and some safety experts warn of several problems:

• Misidentifications and errors. Independent reporting shows facial age-estimation systems can be inaccurate incorrectly placing adults into child categories or vice versa which can cause frustrating access issues and mismatched chat permissions. Wired and other outlets documented early problems during the pilot phases.
• Privacy questions. Even though Roblox says data is handled carefully and offers an ID-based route for verification, asking users (including minors) to submit selfies or IDs raises concerns about how that data is stored, used and protected especially in regions with sensitive privacy expectations.
• Community & engagement impacts. Developers and creators warn that forcing mass verification could reduce casual social interaction on the platform: some players may skip chat entirely, and text-chat usage in pilot regions reportedly dropped, affecting social games and experiences built around free conversation.

What parents and users in India should know

1. Expect the prompt: If your child uses Roblox, you’ll likely see an in-app age check prompt when they attempt to chat. Don’t ignore it completing verification is needed for full chat access.
2. Use parental tools: Parents can use Roblox’s parental controls to set account age, manage Trusted Connections, and limit communication features. Learn how to change settings via Roblox’s Help Centre.
3. Pick verification method carefully: If you prefer not to use a selfie, users 13+ can opt for ID verification. Weigh privacy tradeoffs (photo vs ID) and read Roblox’s guidance on data handling.
4. Watch for glitches: If the system misidentifies age, Roblox provides dispute and appeal flows — file those if your child is wrongly classified. Keep screenshots and notes when you contact support.

What this means for India’s gaming scene

India’s massive and growing Roblox user base (children, teens and creators) will be an important test for the new system. If Roblox can strike the right balance between effective safety and respecting privacy and user experience, the platform could become a model for child-first design in social gaming. If not, the backlash seen elsewhere could repeat reducing engagement or creating legal and reputational headaches.

Roblox’s mandatory age checks in India are a clear attempt to make the platform safer for younger users by limiting chat to age-appropriate groups. That’s a welcome idea but implementation matters. Accuracy, transparent data handling, and solid parental controls will determine whether this change actually improves safety without breaking what makes Roblox fun and social. Keep an eye on how Roblox responds to errors and privacy concerns as the rollout continues.

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