Roblox Cuts Kids Off From Strangers With New Age-Tiered Accounts
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Main Takeaway
Roblox rolls out Roblox Kids (5-8) and Roblox Select (9-15) accounts that block chat with adults and restrict game access as lawsuits and global bans pile up.
Summary
What Roblox just announced
Roblox will split all under-16 users into two new locked-down account tiers starting in June. Roblox Kids (ages 5-8) and Roblox Select (ages 9-15) will automatically replace existing child profiles. The system decides age through the platform’s global age-check or verified parental consent. Adult strangers can no longer message or friend these accounts, and large swaths of user-generated experiences become invisible. The company calls this the biggest safety overhaul since it began mandatory age verification last year.
Why regulators forced the move
Los Angeles County filed suit in April alleging Roblox is “an unsafe online environment that exploits children,” while Indonesia already blocks under-16s from social media starting March 28. Similar bills are advancing in the U.S., U.K., and EU that could label Roblox as social media and ban kids outright. By re-branding itself as a curated gaming platform, Roblox is trying to dodge the same legislative axe that felled TikTok for minors in several countries.
How the new tiers actually work
Once the switch flips, Roblox Kids can only access a hand-picked list of pre-approved games and cannot chat, friend, or spend real money. Roblox Select users get a larger catalog and limited, age-gated chat with mutual friends, but no direct messages from adults. Parents receive a redesigned dashboard that lets them block or allow specific experiences, set play-time caps, and override the defaults. Existing teen accounts (16+) stay unchanged.
Impact on the creator economy
Thousands of Roblox developers who built experiences for the under-13 crowd are about to lose most of their audience overnight. Games tagged 13+ will vanish from Kids and Select feeds, slashing potential revenue and daily-active-user counts. Roblox will release new content-rating tools so devs can re-tag games for the younger tiers, but anything with mild cartoon violence or unfiltered chat will likely be excluded. Expect a scramble to sanitize existing titles or pivot to older demographics.
What parents need to do now
Nothing yet. Migration is automatic, but parents who want tighter or looser controls than the defaults must log into the new Family Center before June. If your child lies about their age today, the system will still lock them into Kids or Select once verified. Roblox says refunds for past purchases made by Kids accounts will be honored, but new spending is frozen.
What happens next
Roblox will watch retention numbers like a hawk. If too many 13-year-olds bail for Fortnite or Minecraft, expect further loosening of Select restrictions. Meanwhile, the LA County lawsuit and copy-cat cases in Texas and Florida could still force even stricter measures or massive fines. The broader game industry is taking notes: Epic, Discord, and even Nintendo are quietly testing similar age-gated tiers ahead of their own regulatory showdowns.
Key Points
Roblox will automatically assign under-16 users to Roblox Kids (5-8) or Roblox Select (9-15) in June, cutting off chat with adults and limiting game access.
The overhaul follows a Los Angeles County lawsuit and new Indonesian rules that treat Roblox as social media, threatening outright child bans.
Creators lose reach and revenue on 13+ games; they must re-rate content or pivot to older audiences.
Parents get expanded controls via the Family Center but must act before June to override defaults.
The move may influence Epic, Discord, and Nintendo to adopt similar age-gated tiers as global regulation intensifies.
FAQs
No. Existing accounts will be automatically migrated into Roblox Kids or Roblox Select once age is verified. Parents only need to visit the Family Center if they want to adjust the default settings.
Items stay, but Roblox Kids accounts cannot make new purchases. Refunds for past Kids-tier purchases will be granted on request.
Yes, within Roblox Select they can text and voice-chat only with mutual friends who are also 9-15; direct messages from adults or strangers are blocked.
Once age verification (selfie or parent confirmation) is completed, the account will be locked into the correct tier regardless of previously stated age.
No. Roblox maintains separate whitelists: Kids get a small curated set, Select gets a larger catalog, but anything rated 13+ or with unfiltered chat is hidden.
No. The new tiers roll out globally, though some regions like Indonesia already impose additional restrictions on under-16 access.
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