Inside Roblox’s age-verification push and its impact on child safety in India’s online gaming

Roblox, a leading name in the gaming industry, has initiated a significant change in India by making age verification mandatory for its users. Starting January 14, players across all age groups must confirm their age before being allowed to utilize chat and communication features on the platform. This new policy marks Roblox as the first major gaming platform to enforce such a requirement for all users. The move comes as part of the company's broader initiative to bolster child safety online. The age verification process is now a prerequisite for accessing various communication tools, ensuring that interactions are age-appropriate. The rollout of this feature follows a phased introduction that began in November 2025, initially reaching users in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Roblox has reported that over half of its global active users have successfully completed the age verification process, paving the way for its expansion into India. To streamline the verification process, Roblox employs a dual approach that includes facial age estimation and ID verification. If a user is determined to be underage, their access to certain chat features will be limited. The platform categorizes users into six age groups: under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21+. Users must provide either a video selfie or a photo via their device's camera. For those aged 13 and above, the option for official ID verification is available, allowing for a more accurate age confirmation using government-issued documents like passports or driver's licenses. Roblox's Chief Safety Officer, Matt Kaufman, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating that it aims to set a new standard for online safety. By enforcing age verification, Roblox seeks to ensure that users interact with peers within their appropriate age ranges, thereby reducing the risk of adults communicating with minors. Additionally, the platform has implemented a policy where chat features are disabled by default for users under the age of nine, further enhancing the safety measures for younger players.