Today, our age check requirement to chat, which launched in select regions in early December, is rolling out globally wherever chat is available. Users in the U.S. and select regions will see in-app prompts asking them to complete an age check to chat with others. Over the next week, these prompts will roll out to all regions where chat is available.

As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety. It enables age-based chat, which promotes a positive, age-appropriate experience for all users globally, and limits communication between adults and children younger than 16.

Strong Momentum

Tens of millions of daily active users have already completed an age check, and we expect many more to follow. In Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, where age checks have been required to chat since early December, more than 50% of daily active users have completed the process*.

Age-based chat makes it easy for users to communicate with others in similar age groups for age-appropriate conversations. Parental consent is required for users younger than 9 to access chat features. Age-checked users 13 and older can connect and chat more freely with people they know beyond their immediate age group using our Trusted Connections feature. We’re also working on systems to make it easier for children to chat with their parents and siblings in different age groups. Age-based chat is designed to prevent children younger than 16 from communicating with adults. By default, users in each age group can chat with users in the groups directly above and below theirs (i.e., users 9-12 can chat with users in their own group, as well as those in the under 9 and 13-15 groups.)

Age groups shown are for Roblox chat. Age groups may vary by region and product.

The Foundation Supporting Age Estimation

In the spirit of supporting the broader industry, we’re sharing some of the insights and findings that guided us in this process.

**Privacy is paramount: **Roblox’s values, such as Respect the Community, prioritize user privacy as well as safety. This is why images and video used for Facial Age Estimation are deleted immediately after they’ve been securely processed.

**Build multilayered systems: **Requiring age checks is one component of our larger multilayered approach to safety. We continually innovate, using the latest technology available to add additional layers. We complement this technology with strict policies and Community Standards. Roblox has never allowed image sharing through chat, and we use systems designed to proactively block attempts to exchange personally identifiable information between users who are not Trusted Connections. Advanced filters are designed to block or remove content that violates our standards. Our goal is to catch any problematic content before users see or interact with it. While no system (including Roblox) is perfect and we cannot prevent all objectionable content from appearing on Roblox, we do our best to detect and moderate content that violates our Community Standards and make it easy for users to report anything they do spot. We also strongly encourage parents to talk to their children about internet safety (including online grooming) and what their children are doing online.

**Design for accuracy, support with appeals: **Our age check process is designed for accuracy—the technology used by our vendor, Persona, has been tested and certified by third-party laboratories. The age estimation models used achieved a Mean Absolute Error of 1.4 years for users younger than 18, based on testing by the Age Check Certification Scheme in the U.K. It’s equally important to be prepared for cases that may need correcting—and for any backup methods to be tried and tested.

It’s important to build these redundant methods into the process from the beginning. For example, we have customer support systems and appeal processes for users to report inaccuracies. Users who want to appeal their age check can verify their age using alternative methods, including ID verification or parental controls that allow parents to update their child’s age. We do not stop once the age-check process is complete. Leveraging multiple signals, we are constantly evaluating user behavior to determine if someone is significantly older or younger than expected. In these situations we will soon begin asking users to repeat the age-check process.

**Focus on transparency: **Explaining the benefits of checking users’ ages is key to driving adoption. When users see and understand what they gain from an age-based system, that system can apply to all users on a platform. We implemented a voluntary age-check period with prompts that explain the benefits to users.

Today’s global rollout is a significant milestone. With each new innovation, we continue to expand our foundation for future innovations. In the coming months, we will require age checks for creators to access Roblox Studio’s real-time collaboration features and update our policies around Roblox communities. (The age groups we’re currently using for chat may not be identical to those used for Studio or other products.).

For more information about our multilayered approach to safety and how to complete the age check, visit the Roblox Safety Center and Help Center.

For more on the technology and philosophy behind these changes, watch our latest “Tech Talks” podcast: