Roblox Introducing Kids and Select Accounts With New Age Based Safety System
Roblox is finally making some major changes focused on child safety, and honestly, it looks like a big shift for the platform. The game has been facing a lot of criticism over the years, especially around how kids interact online. There have also been multiple legal complaints related to child protection, so this move does not come out of nowhere.
To address this, Roblox is reportedly introducing a new age based account system starting in June. The idea is simple. Different age groups will now have different levels of access, and younger players will be restricted much more than before.
The first category is called Roblox Kids. This one is designed for players under nine years old. Accounts in this category will only be able to access games with very minimal violence, unrealistic effects, and child friendly content. Communication features will be completely disabled. Kids in this category will also only be able to play developer approved experiences.
This means no random chat, no unknown interactions, and a heavily filtered environment.
The second category is Roblox Select, which is aimed at players between 9 and 15 years old. This tier will allow access to moderately rated games, but communication features are still expected to remain disabled. The focus here is to slowly expand access while still keeping things controlled.
After that, users will transition to the standard account type once they meet the age requirements.
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According to the details, accounts will now require age verification. If a user does not verify their age, they may be restricted to the Roblox Kids experience by default. As players grow older, their account permissions will automatically expand from Kids to Select and then to the normal account.
Overall, this looks like a step in the right direction. The biggest question, however, is how strong the age verification will actually be. Other platforms have struggled with users bypassing restrictions, so everything depends on how Roblox implements this system.
Alongside the safety update, Roblox is also introducing a new subscription called RBX Plus. The subscription is priced at around five dollars and will include in game discounts, free private servers, instant Robux transfers, and additional creator focused benefits.
The new subscription is also expected to help creators by giving them more monetization options and improved engagement tools. Roblox seems to be pushing both safety improvements and platform monetization at the same time.
Between the age based accounts and the new subscription model, Roblox appears to be making some of its biggest structural changes in a long time. Whether these updates actually solve the long standing concerns will only become clear once the rollout begins.