Roblox to gate 9+ games behind age checks in major child safety update

Roblox is preparing one of its biggest account safety changes yet, and it will directly affect how kids get into games on the platform.

Under the new system, anyone who wants to access Roblox experiences meant for users aged nine and above will need to complete an age verification check. If they do not verify, they will only be able to access more family-friendly content.

The update is tied to Roblox rolling out two new account categories, Roblox Kids and Roblox Select, each with different safeguards depending on the user’s age.

That matters in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia because Roblox is not just another game app here, it is one of the main digital hangout spaces for younger players. A change like this will affect not only kids, but also parents deciding what their children can play, chat in, and discover.

How the new account system works

If Roblox determines that a user is between five and eight years old, or if the user simply skips the age check, that account will be placed under Roblox Kids.

These accounts can only access games tagged with Minimal or Mild content maturity labels. Chat is turned off by default, although parents can approve specific people their child is allowed to talk to.

Meanwhile, users aged nine to 15 will be placed into Roblox Select accounts. These accounts can access games marked with Moderate content labels, and chat features will be enabled gradually depending on the user’s age.

Parents who have linked their own account to their child’s account can also set their child’s age directly. As that child grows older, Roblox says the account will automatically move from Kids to Select, and later to a standard account.

Why Roblox is tightening controls now

This move comes after years of pressure around child safety on the platform. Roblox has faced heavy scrutiny over alleged safety issues involving younger users, and it is also dealing with multiple state lawsuits.

The company has already introduced a series of changes aimed at cleaning things up, including stronger parental controls, tighter restrictions on sexual content, and age checks for chat access. According to Roblox, more than 50 percent of its 144 million daily active users worldwide have already completed an age check.

Not every game will automatically qualify

Roblox is also setting stricter rules for which games can appear for Kids and Select accounts.

To be available to those users, a game must clear a three-step review process:

• the developer must be verified with a government-issued ID or linked to a parent account
• the developer must have two-factor authentication enabled
• the developer must have a Roblox Plus subscription

On top of that, the game has to pass Roblox’s real-time multimodal moderation system, and Roblox will continue monitoring player reports to judge whether a game remains safe for younger audiences.

Games also need a content maturity label. Later this year, those labels are expected to shift to standards aligned with the International Age Rating Coalition, similar to systems used by organisations such as the ESRB.

Roblox has not shared exactly how long this review process will take, and it has not confirmed which games will make the cut at launch. Still, the company says it expects the majority of players’ favourite games to be ready once they have gone through review.

More control for parents too

Another new feature will let parents block specific games for their child until that child turns 16. For many families in SEA, that could end up being one of the more practical changes, especially in homes where Roblox is played on shared phones, tablets, or family devices.

For Malaysian readers, the bigger takeaway is simple: Roblox is becoming more locked down for younger users, and age setup is no longer something families can ignore. If a child wants access to a wider range of games, parents will likely need to be more hands-on with verification, account linking, and permission settings.

Roblox says the full set of updates should be available globally by early June.

Source: The Verge Gaming