Last week, my nephew came over and opened Roblox, only to suddenly look upset. He said he couldn't open the chat window to talk to his friends. I noticed that only a prompt for face age verification was showing up.

At first, I thought it was a glitch. But upon checking, I found out that Roblox's account structure has changed quite a bit this year. I thought it was worth sharing for families with kids.

The change started on January 7, 2026. Roblox officially announced that U.S. users would need to verify their age to use chat, and within a week, this requirement was expanded to all regions where chat is available.

The age verification is primarily based on estimating the user's facial age. When the app uses the camera to capture the face, it provides an approximate age range. Users aged 13 and older can opt for ID verification instead.

As a parent, the biggest concern is the child's facial data. According to Roblox, an external company called Persona handles this, and images and videos are deleted immediately after processing. Personally, I would recommend going through this process together with your child rather than taking the company's word for it.

Once verification is complete, the child is placed into one of six age groups: under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21 and older.

By default, users can only chat with their own group and the groups directly above and below them. In simple terms, a ten-year-old is prevented from chatting with adults. Roblox has stated that the goal is to restrict conversations between minors under 16 and adults.

But that wasn't the end of it. On June 16, age-specific accounts were introduced worldwide. Ages 5-8 have Roblox Kids, ages 9-15 have Roblox Select, and those 16 and older have standard Roblox accounts.

Kids accounts have chat disabled by default. However, parents can allow text chat within games if they choose. Only games rated Minimal or Mild in maturity are visible.

Select accounts gradually expand chat capabilities based on age. Parents can adjust these settings as well. Only standard accounts for those 16 and older have chat enabled by default.

I was surprised by the situation for kids who hadn't verified their age. While accounts are categorized based on the age entered during registration, chat is disabled for anyone under 9 until verification is completed. This was the reason my nephew was unable to chat.

So if your child suddenly can't talk to their friends, it's likely not a malfunction. They may not have completed age verification, or the results may have placed them in a different group.

There are also instances where age estimation can be inaccurate. Experts point out that this technology is less accurate for kids on the boundary of age ranges. This is something a child with an upcoming birthday might easily experience.

In such cases, an appeal can be made. Users can verify their identity or link a parent account to the child's account to adjust the age in the guardian settings.

Therefore, I believe linking a parent account is key to these changes. Once connected, there are more options available than you might think.

Until the child turns 13, they can view their friend list, block or report users, and approve or deny Trusted Friend requests. You can also set screen time and spending limits.

Until they turn 16, parents can change chat settings and restrict or allow specific games. Once they reach 16-18, direct control decreases, but they can still receive payment notifications and view their friend list.

Trusted Friend is a feature that allows kids to chat with people they actually know, even across age groups. You can only add people like cousins or older schoolmates. Make sure to enable the parent approval step to prevent adding anyone indiscriminately.

Let's also touch on why these changes were necessary. Roblox is facing lawsuits from several state governments over child safety issues. Tennessee is no exception, as Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a lawsuit based on Tennessee's Consumer Protection Act.

The state claims that Roblox has allowed sign-ups and chats without proper age verification for a long time. Roblox has countered that the lawsuit misrepresents the company. The outcome is still pending.

Alabama announced a settlement of $12.2 million in April. West Virginia and Nevada have also reached settlements. From the company's perspective, this was a situation they could no longer delay.

Personally, I welcome these changes. I feel they should have been implemented sooner. However, I also think that the method of facial recognition may not be comfortable for all parents, so I hope there will be more diverse alternatives.

What you can do at home is simple. First, check how your child's account is classified. The age group will be visible in the settings screen.

Next, create a parent account and link it to the child's account. If they are not linked, there will be fewer options to correct the age if it is incorrect.

Then, adjust the chat range, Trusted Friend approvals, and spending limits one by one. It can be tiring to do everything at once, so try to sit down with your child over the weekend to go through it.

Finally, it's a good idea to explain to your child why their chat is blocked. Let them know that it's not just a restriction, but a change made for their safety, which may help them feel less upset.

For reference, Roblox has stated that age and default settings may vary by region. Please check the official Roblox safety guide page for more details.

In the end, my nephew called his mom and started by linking the parent account. It may be a hassle, but I think the effort is worth it. If it were me, I would check my child's account tonight.