Roblox introduces stricter child safety controls as governments tighten scrutiny of under-16 social media access

As governments across the world move to restrict young people's access to social media platforms, gaming giant Roblox has unveiled a major overhaul of its child safety framework, rolling out new age-based account experiences and stricter parental controls for users under 16 globally.

The announcement comes amid growing international concern about children's online safety. The debate intensified after the United Kingdom proposed restrictions on social media access for children under 16, following similar measures and discussions in countries including Australia and Malaysia. 

Policymakers have increasingly raised concerns about the impact of digital platforms on children's wellbeing, online exposure, and screen time.

Against this backdrop, Roblox has launched two new account categories, Roblox Kids and Roblox Select—designed to provide age-appropriate experiences, limit communication features, and give parents greater oversight of their children's activity on the platform.

The global rollout follows a pilot launch in Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand last month. According to Roblox, the new system aligns content access, communication features, and parental controls with a user's age while maintaining access to most of the platform's popular experiences.

Under the new framework, Roblox Kids accounts will be automatically assigned to users aged five to eight. These accounts will offer the platform's strongest default protections, including access only to games carrying Minimal or Mild content maturity ratings that have passed Roblox's review process. Chat functionality will be disabled by default.

For users aged nine to 15, Roblox Select accounts will allow access to games rated up to Moderate, subject to additional review standards. Communication features will vary depending on age and region, with enhanced safeguards remaining in place for all users under 16.

In much of the Middle East, Roblox noted that chat functions remain unavailable for users of all ages.

The company said both account types will apply stricter content review measures, including developer verification, real-time evaluation, and enhanced moderation. Experiences involving sensitive topics, social hangouts, and free-form drawing features will be excluded from the default catalogues available to younger users.

The age-based structure will automatically adjust as children grow older, moving users from Roblox Kids to Roblox Select at age nine, and then to standard Roblox accounts when they turn 16.

“Children’s needs change significantly as they grow, and online experiences should adapt alongside them,” said Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox. “With Roblox Kids and Roblox Select, we’re creating age-based protections designed to support younger users at different stages, while giving parents tools to personalize the experience for their family.”

The update also significantly expands parental controls. Parents who link their accounts to a child's profile will continue to have access to tools that monitor gameplay activity, friend lists, content ratings, communication settings, screen time, and spending limits.

New features introduced with the rollout include granular game-blocking options, direct chat management controls, and a game approval system that allows parents to authorise specific experiences outside their child's default account settings. These controls will remain available until a child reaches the age of 16.

Roblox said the changes are part of a broader effort to strengthen age verification and age-appropriate online experiences. 

Once the rollout is complete, users who have not completed age verification checks will be unable to access standard Roblox accounts or use Roblox chat features, regardless of age.

The company is also tightening restrictions around external communications. Later this month, users under 16 will be prevented from sharing or viewing social media links across profiles, game pages, community spaces, and creator tools. 

Roblox will continue blocking the sharing of links, images, and videos within chats. It plans to adopt the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) framework later this year, aligning its content ratings with the globally recognised standard used across digital games and applications.