Roblox has rolled out new safety features globally, including stricter age verification and age-based account types, ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's planned social media ban for under-16s. The changes, which went live on Tuesday, June 16, follow a trial in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Indonesia.
The new Kids Accounts, designed for users aged 5 to 8, offer the platform's strongest default protections, with chat turned off by default and access limited to games with 'minimal' or 'mild' content maturity labels. Select Accounts, for ages 9 to 15, allow access to games rated up to 'moderate' and include additional safeguards for users under 16.
Parental controls have also been expanded, including granular game blocking, direct chat management, and a new game approval feature that lets parents grant access to specific games outside their child's default settings. Users are automatically assigned to the appropriate account based on Roblox's age-check systems.
Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer at Roblox, said: 'Children's needs change significantly as they grow, and online experiences should adapt alongside them. 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.'
Once the rollout is complete, users who have not completed an age check will not be able to access standard Roblox accounts or use chat features. Additionally, from later this month, users under 16 will be prohibited from sharing or viewing social media links on user profiles, game detail pages, Community pages, or the Creator Hub.
