Roblox Builds Co-Play on Mandatory Age Verification

Roblox introduced age-based co-play and discovery systems on Feb 5, 2026, expanding platform safety tools approximately a month after mandating age verification for chat access. The update was detailed in an official blog by Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman and Vice President of User and Discovery Product Rajiv Bhatia. It positions verified identity as central to communication and social discovery.

As of Jan 31, 2026, 45% of Roblox’s 144M daily active users had completed age checks through facial age estimation or ID verification. The mandate emerged amid a broader wave of child-safety lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny. This included cases filed by the attorneys general of Texas, Kentucky, and Louisiana, alleging exposure of minors to grooming risks and explicit content.

Verification requires users to submit camera scans through the Roblox app. According to the company, the data is processed by the third-party vendor Persona, which deletes images and videos after completion.

Currently verified-age data shows 35% of verified users are under 13, 38% are 13 to 17, and 27% are 18 or older, indicating a younger user base than previously suggested by self-reported data.

Roblox Age Verification Enables Tiered Chat, Safety Monitoring

Verified users are placed into six communication brackets: under 9, 9 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, and 21 plus, with chat limited to adjacent tiers. Roblox is expanding Trusted Connections to allow cross-age communication among approved contacts, with parental oversight for younger users, while automatic parent linking is planned.

Users can appeal incorrect estimates through ID verification, one-time parental control corrections, or a one-time account reset option. Roblox also runs continuous behavioral monitoring to detect mismatches between verified age and activity.

Senior director of product policy, Eliza Jacobs, told TechCrunch that the platform looks for “signals on your account that indicate that the age that we now have on that account is not consistent with the activity on that account.” The company also evaluates gameplay patterns, communication behavior, keystroke dynamics, and emoji usage to identify potential mismatches and trigger additional verification where required.

Concerns emerged after reports of listings selling age-verified accounts, though Roblox stated that monitoring tools address circumvention risks.

CEO and co-founder, David Baszucki, noted verified insights are shaping monetization strategy. “We estimate our 18-and-over cohort is growing at over 50%, and this cohort monetizes 40% higher than younger cohorts.”

Roblox indicated that ongoing investment in verification and age-based discovery will continue. The focus is on managing safer interaction as its global user ecosystem grows.