Roblox Launching Kids Accounts After Grooming Allegations

Photo Credit: Roblox

Roblox is launching restricted accounts for minors after being put on notice by the Australian government over reports of grooming on the platform.

Popular social gaming platform Roblox will introduce two new account types in June, specifically for minors. Roblox Kids will be for those aged between five and eight, while Roblox Select will be for ages nine to 15. The platform’s age-check technology (which includes facial recognition) will assign users to these designated accounts.

Roblox Kids users will only be able to access games with maturity ratings of “minimal” or “mild,” while the chat function will be turned off by default. Roblox Select users will only be able to access games with a “moderate” rating, while chat room functions will be gradually introduced with safeguards so they can chat with family, friends, and people of a similar age.

“While no system is perfect, these age-adaptive accounts are designed to help remove the guesswork for parents and help align users’ experiences with their age,” said Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman.

Ahead of the rollout, all games on Roblox will undergo a review process, which will include conducting a real-time evaluation of users aged 16 and over playing games first to assess them. Parental controls will also be expanded on Roblox, enabling parents to block specific games and manage chats until their child turns 16.

It’s part of a broader move to appease the Australian government, which put the company on notice after widespread reports of children being groomed by predators on the platform, as well as “graphic and gratuitous media,” such as “sexual and suicidal content.”

“We made it clear to Roblox that something had to be done—and I welcome these steps towards stronger safety measures on their platform for under-16s, not just in Australia, but globally,” said Communications Minister Anika Wells, who met with Roblox representatives in February.

Notably, Roblox is not explicitly listed under the government’s social media ban on children under 16 that began last year. However, the new legislation means that platforms can be fined up to $49.5 million by the eSafety Commissioner for non-compliance.

To that end, Roblox will also start transitioning to the Australian Classification Board to assign content ratings for its games later this year. This is part of a move to help families more easily identify age-appropriate content.

Social media platforms banned for under-16s via Australia’s new legislation include TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitch, X (Twitter), Reddit, Threads, Kick, and even YouTube.

Originally, the Australian government intended to exempt YouTube from the ban, as there is substantial evidence that the platform is widely used in classrooms and supported by parents. However, it was ultimately included in the ban, while YouTube Kids—the filtered version that allows parents to create accounts for children under 12—is still permitted.