Roblox is rolling out separate age-based accounts for minors on the popular gaming platform, the company announced Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting in early June, the platform will put users ages 5 to 8 in Roblox Kids accounts, which disable all messaging by default and restrict users to games with a content maturity label of \u201cminimal\u201d or \u201cmild.\u201d Those ages 9 to 15 will be put into Roblox Select accounts, which gradually introduce more chat functions and allow access to games up to \u201cmoderate\u201d content maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the latest in a slew of safety updates to come to Roblox \u2014 the world\u2019s biggest social gaming ecosystem for kids, with more than 151 million daily active users \u2014 as it faces mounting scrutiny over allegations it failed to shield its young users from child predators and inappropriate content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least seven states have sued Roblox over issues of child safety, with more states investigating their own potential cases. Roblox is also at the center of dozens of individual lawsuits that have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawsuits represent the cases of children around the country who are alleged to have been groomed by predators on Roblox. In some cases, families allege that victims died by suicide or were sexually assaulted in person after they were lured from their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roblox\u2019s introduction of age-based accounts builds on the age verification measures it launched this year, requiring all users to undergo biometric age checks to use the chat function. That process automatically estimates users\u2019 ages and permits them to chat only with others estimated to be in similar age ranges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rollout, however, was quickly met with user complaints of inaccurate age estimations and workarounds found by users hoping to trick the system. Roblox has told community members that it may periodically recheck users\u2019 age if it suspects fraud or misrepresentation and that it aims to improve its detection of such behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the platform prepares to release its Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts, the company said in a blog post that users\u2019 age groups can be set by linked parent accounts or by Roblox\u2019s own age-checking mechanisms. Upon age 16, users will transition to standard Roblox accounts with access to all content and chat functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis update will bring age-checks, account-level defaults, content ratings, ongoing moderation, and expanded parental controls together into a unified framework for younger users,\u201d Roblox wrote. \u201cBased on our selection criteria, we believe age-checked users under 16 will have access to the vast majority of their favorite games at launch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roblox\u2019s parental controls, which first rolled out in 2024, allow parents with linked Roblox accounts to block specific games or users, choose whether their children can chat with others and set screen time and spending limits. But unless a parent enables chat, children under 13 are automatically blocked from direct messaging, and children under 9 are automatically blocked from in-game chats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Monday\u2019s announcement, the company said it will extend parents\u2019 ability to manage direct chat settings and block individual games through age 15 rather than 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Roblox said it will continually select games available to users under 16 through a process that includes developer verification, evaluation of user reports and content maturity ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later this year, it added, the company will begin transitioning to the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) framework, a content rating standard used around the globe for digital games and apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese clear, region-specific ratings,\u201d Roblox said, \u201creflect local cultural norms and will help families identify age-appropriate content while further reinforcing our alignment with global safety standards and local regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n