One of the world's biggest gaming platforms will ask all users to scan their face and let technology guess their age in a bid to restrict inappropriate conversations between children and adults.
Roblox announced the launch of age-estimation technology on Tuesday night, with age checks available as a voluntary measure before they become mandatory for Australians in December.
The change will be enforced one week before Australia's social media ban for children under 16 years — which Roblox is exempt from.
Some experts say Roblox's move could act like an insurance policy to keep the platform free of future restrictions.
All of Roblox's estimated 380 million users will be asked to submit to age-estimation technology under the changes, with checks provided by US firm Persona.
The software will scan users' faces and use artificial intelligence technology to guess their age before assigning their account to one of six age categories, including users aged under nine years, nine to 12 years, and 13 to 15 years, up to the age of 21.
After being assessed, users would be allowed to chat on the platform with peers in their group and adjacent age groups, to reduce the risk of inappropriate conversations, Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman said.
The age-estimating technology had proven accurate to within one or two years and users could correct results by uploading government-issued identification to the platform, he said.
"We decided that simply going with age-estimation was the path of least friction and the path that provided the best outcome and that minimised the collection of personal information," Kaufman said.
Earlier in 2025, politicians called for Roblox to fall under Australia's social media age ban, but eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant confirmed it would be exempt, along with services such as social chat platform Discord and game marketplace Steam.
Despite its chat feature, Roblox was not a social media platform, Kaufman said, but he hoped the company could share its experience with regulators to lift online standards.
Roblox facing dozens of lawsuits
Roblox age restrictions will be required for its users in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands in the first week of December, before a global expansion in January 2026.
The changes come as the multibillion-dollar firm faces more than 35 lawsuits in the US, including allegations it allowed child sexual exploitation on its platform.
Roblox's developers face dozens of lawsuits, including allegations it allowed child sexual exploitation on its platform. Source: AAP / AP / Leon Keith
"This is a really sensible thing for them to do, like an insurance policy going into the future so they never fall under the ban while still having young users," she told the Australian Associated Press.
Nine online platforms will fall under Australia's Online Safety Amendment Act, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, when it comes into effect on 10 December.
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