Roblox Adds Age Verification, Ratings Amid Safety Concerns

Amid child safety lawsuits, Roblox, online gaming service, announced it is expanding age-estimation technology to all users and partnering with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to provide age and content ratings across its platform.

The company said the age-verification system will apply to communication tools like voice and text chat and is expected to roll out by the end of the year.

The new technology will scan a user’s video selfie to estimate age, alongside features like ID verification and parental consent, ensuring minors under 13 cannot access chat features without filters.

Roblox has also introduced safeguards for teens, preventing users aged 13 to 17 from adding “trusted connections” unless they know them in real life, verified through contact imports or QR code scans.

Additionally, through its IARC partnership, Roblox will replace its own content labels with those from global rating agencies, such as ESRB (U.S.), PEGI (Europe/UK), GRAC (Korea), and USK (Germany).

The move follows mounting global regulations, including the U.K.’s Online Safety Act and Mississippi’s age-assurance law, with similar measures advancing in states like Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Virginia.

Despite these efforts, ongoing lawsuits and research highlight that Roblox still faces significant challenges in fully safeguarding its young community.