Roblox offers “Kids” and “Select” accounts for age-appropriate access to games and chat

Roblox is introducing new account types designed to give younger kids and teens convenient access to chat and gaming, the company announced Monday.

This step comes with the implementation of Roblox Mandatory age checks In January for all users who want to access chats. Same thing Age verification technology It will be used to assign users to these new accounts. As part of the changes, users who have not completed age verifications will only be able to play a selection of games rated for younger audiences.

Users ages 5 to 9 will be assigned to a “Roblox Kids” account, and users ages 9 to 15 will be placed into a “Roblox Select” account. Users aged 16 and above will be on a standard Roblox account. However, only users 18 or older can access “Restricted Content,” which includes extreme violence, romantic themes, strong language, and more.

The new accounts will be rolled out globally at the beginning of June. Roblox says it will give its users a transition period where it will allow all of its current users to go through the age verification process.

Users with Roblox Kids accounts will have access to games with “minimal” or “mild” ratings, which refers to content that includes occasional mild violence, mild crude humor, and occasional mild fear. Chat will remain disabled by default for children under the age of nine. The only way someone with a children’s account can chat with another user is if a parent selects specific individuals their child is allowed to communicate with.

Users with Roblox Select accounts will have access to games rated as “Average” and will be able to chat with users in a similar age group.

Parents have the option to approve specific games for their children that are not available under their account’s default restrictions. For example, if a younger sibling wants to play a game that isn’t available on their Roblox Kids account with an older sibling, a parent can grant permission to allow access to that game.

Both Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts will only include games that pass Roblox’s three-step vetting criteria.

The first step is to verify the developer. Before their games can be considered for Roblox Kids or Roblox Select accounts, developers must first meet certain eligibility requirements. If they are under 16, they must complete identity verification or maintain a connection to their linked parent account. They must also enable 2-step verification on their account.

Additionally, they must have an active Roblox Plus subscription. Roblox Pluswhich launched last week and costs $4.99 per month, unlocks exclusive perks, discounts on items, in-game avatars, and more. Roblox Premium, the company’s current subscription, will no longer accept new subscriptions once Roblox Plus launches on April 30.

After developer verification, Roblox will conduct an on-the-spot evaluation of games with users ages 16 and older, who will play the games first and provide feedback and reports, which Roblox says will help evaluate the experience before making the games available to younger users. Roblox will also use its multimedia moderation system to evaluate whether games violate its rules.

Finally, games must meet specific play standards in order for younger users to play them, including having an appropriate content maturity rating.

The recent changes to Roblox follow a wave of lawsuits, including those filed by prosecutors in Louisiana and Texasagainst Roblox due to child safety concerns. Lawsuits were filed The following reports Which Roblox was showcasing young users to serious risks, such as grooming and explicit content.