Roblox to implement age verification for minimum age of 9

Roblox is implementing a significant update regarding game access on its platform: users wanting to play games meant for those aged nine and above must undergo age verification. 

This change accompanies the launch of new Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts, offering varying safety levels according to age.

The platform has faced criticism due to reports of child safety concerns, leading to its involvement in multiple state legal actions. 

In an effort to ensure greater safety for young users, Roblox has introduced restrictions on mature content, enhanced parental controls, and required age verification for chat access. 

As reported by Roblox, more than 50% of its 144 million daily active users have already completed age verification.

With the introduction of the new account types, users aged five to eight, or those opting out of age verification, will receive Roblox Kids accounts. 

These will only grant access to games labeled as having “Minimal” or “Mild” content maturity, with chat features disabled by default unless a parent approves specific contacts. Roblox Select accounts, designated for ages nine to fifteen, will allow access to games marked as “Moderate.” 

Chat features will be gradually enabled for these accounts depending on the user’s age, according to Roblox’s chief safety officer Matt Kaufman in a briefing with the media.

Parents linking their accounts to their child’s can also set the appropriate age. As the child grows, their account will transition from Kids to Select and eventually to a regular account.

Both new account types will have access only to games passing a three-stage review process. 

Developers need to be verified using a government ID or connected to a parent’s account, enable two-factor authentication, and possess a Roblox Plus membership. 

Games also have to comply with Roblox’s advanced moderation standards, and monitoring by older users will help ensure safety for younger audiences.

Additionally, games need a content rating, which will later align with international standards like the ESRB this year.

Roblox has not specified how long the review process will last. “We aim to gather comprehensive information about each game through our real-time evaluation before making it available to Select and Kids accounts based on the game’s content maturity,” says spokesperson Juliet Chaitin-Lefcourt in an interview with The Verge.

Chaitin-Lefcourt did not disclose which games might be available to Kids and Select accounts, as they have not yet undergone the review. 

However, Roblox expects that most popular games will be “ready and accessible” to players after completing the process, she states.

The company is unveiling additional parental controls, allowing parents to block specific games for their child until they reach 16. Roblox aims to implement all the announced changes globally by early June.