Roblox introduces ‘Kids’ and ‘Select’ accounts for age appropriate games and chats

Roblox is introducing new types of accounts designed to give children and young adults age-appropriate access to chat and games, the company announced Monday.

The move comes as Roblox implements mandatory age verification in January for all users who want access to chat. The same age verification technology will be used to assign users to these new accounts. As part of the changes, users who haven’t completed age verification will only be able to play certain games that are rated for a younger audience.

Users aged five to nine will be assigned to the “Roblox Kids” account, and users aged nine to 15 will be assigned to the “Roblox Select” account. Users 16 years and older will be on a regular Roblox account. However, only users 18 and older can access “Restricted Content,” which includes strong violence, romantic themes, strong language, and more.

The new accounts are being rolled out globally in early June. Roblox says it will give its users a transition period where it will allow all its existing users to go through the age verification process.

Users with Roblox Kids accounts will be able to access games with “Mild” or “Medium” ratings, which refer to content that is occasionally less violent, crude humor, and occasionally less scary. Chat will remain closed by default for children under nine. The only way someone with a child account can chat with another user is if their parent chooses certain people their child is allowed to communicate with.

Users with Roblox Select accounts will have access to games rated up to “Medium” and will be able to chat with users in the same age group.

Parents have the option to authorize certain games for their children that are not available under their account’s default restrictions. For example, if a younger sibling wants to play a game that is not available on their Roblox Kids account with an older sibling, a parent can grant permission to allow access to that game.

Both Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts will only feature games that pass the three-step Roblox testing process.

The first step is developer verification. Before their games can be considered for Roblox Kids or Roblox Select accounts, developers must meet certain eligibility requirements. If they are under 16, they must complete ID verification or maintain a linked parent account connection. Their account must also have two-step verification enabled.

Additionally, they need an active Roblox Plus subscription. Roblox Plus, which launched last week and costs $4.99 per month, unlocks special benefits, discounts on in-game items and avatars, and more. Roblox Premium, the company’s current subscription, will no longer accept new subscriptions when Roblox Plus launches on April 30.

After developer approval, Roblox will conduct real-time testing of games with users aged 16 and over, who will play the games first and submit feedback and reports, which Roblox says will help test the experience before the games are made available to younger users. Roblox will also use its multimodal rating system to check if games are breaking its rules.

Finally, games must meet certain playability criteria to be played by younger users, including having the right label for content growth.

Roblox’s recent changes follow a number of lawsuits, including those from the attorneys general of Louisiana and Texas, against Roblox regarding child safety. The lawsuits were filed following reports that Roblox was exposing young users to dangerous risks, such as grooming and explicit content.