Roblox age verification: Facial scan or ID now required for unfiltered chats
Roblox is tightening its safety protocols by requiring users to verify their age through a facial scan or government ID before accessing unfiltered chats. This move aims to ensure only teens aged 13 and older can join "Trusted Connections," a new system that allows freer, less restricted communication between confirmed users. This update directly addresses growing concerns around online safety for minors and aligns with age verification trends being adopted across platforms like Reddit and Bluesky. With the rollout, Roblox users must pass an age estimation tool—or verify manually—to unlock this feature.
New 'Trusted Connections' and unfiltered chat access explained
Under the latest update, Roblox is rebranding its “Friends” feature to “Connections” and introducing a selective tier called “Trusted Connections.” Users in this tier can access unfiltered text chat and social features like Party. The goal is to allow teens to chat more naturally while still enforcing robust safety measures. To qualify, teens must use a new age estimation tool powered by Persona, which involves a video selfie analyzed against a large dataset. If the system can’t verify age, users can instead upload a government ID for manual confirmation.
How facial scan technology and ID verification works on Roblox
Roblox has partnered with identity verification provider Persona to power both facial recognition and ID scanning. When a user submits a video selfie, the system checks their age using AI. If it fails to produce a confident match, they’re denied access to Trusted Connections—unless they submit a valid ID or, in the future, receive verified parental consent. Roblox ensures that biometric data is deleted after 30 days, except when required by law. Teens aged 13 to 17 can connect freely with each other, while those adding someone 18+ must prove a real-life relationship through QR code or contact syncing.
Safety, privacy, and teen well-being updates on Roblox
Despite offering unfiltered chats within Trusted Connections, Roblox maintains moderation to detect and stop harmful behavior. This includes actions like grooming, sexual exploitation, or sharing explicit content. The update follows previous reports of online predators targeting minors and is part of Roblox’s wider push to enhance safety. Additional wellness features include private online status settings, a Do Not Disturb mode, and personalized screen time limits for teens—marking a major shift toward user-controlled experiences without sacrificing parental oversight.
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