Roblox Corporation has officially announced a massive shift in how its younger users interact with the platform, introducing a tiered account system designed to take the guesswork out of online safety.
Starting in early June 2026, the platform will roll out Roblox Kids and Roblox Select. It’s a fundamental redesign of the user experience for those under 16.
The new framework replaces the “one size fits all” approach with two distinct categories based on age-check technology:
- Roblox Kids (Ages 5–8): These accounts are the most protected. Users will only have access to games with “Minimal” or “Mild” maturity labels. To keep things simple and safe, all communication features are disabled by default. You will also notice a distinct background colour across the app, making it easy to see at a glance that the “Kids” safety settings are active.
- Roblox Select (Ages 9–15): Aimed at the “tween” and early teen demographic, these accounts allow for a bit more freedom while maintaining guardrails. Users can access games rated up to “Moderate.” While communication settings remain unchanged from current defaults, the interface will feature a unique visual treatment to distinguish it from standard accounts.
Once a user hits the milestone age of 16, they automatically transition to a standard Roblox account. It is a digital “coming of age” that rewards older teens with the full breadth of the platform, provided they have cleared the mandatory age verification.
The Age-Check Milestone
This update is a natural progression of Roblox’s recent push for identity transparency. Earlier this year, Roblox became the first major gaming platform to require facial age checks for chat access. The data suggests the community is onboard; over 50% of global daily active users have already completed the check.
Here in Australia and New Zealand, where mandatory checks were introduced in December, roughly 60% of daily users are already verified. It seems the “wild west” era of pretending to be 21 to access a virtual social club is rapidly coming to an end.
Putting Developers Under the Microscope
Roblox isn’t just filtering content; they are raising the bar for the people who create it. For a game to appear in the “Kids” or “Select” catalogues, developers must now jump through some hoops.
Creators are required to complete full ID verification and maintain an active Roblox Plus subscription. Furthermore, Roblox will use real-time AI scanning and monitor how users over 16 interact with new games before they are deemed suitable for the younger tiers. Notably, “social hangouts” and “free-form drawing games” that are often the trickiest to moderate will be excluded from these younger accounts by default.
Empowering Parents (Without the Headache)
For the parents who want a more “hands-on” approach, the control panel is getting upgraded. You can now block specific individual games through age 15 or, conversely, provide “Granular Game Approval” to allow your child into a specific experience that might otherwise be restricted by their account tier.
Later this year, Roblox will also integrate the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) framework. This means we will start seeing familiar Australian Classification Board (ACB) ratings on games, providing a localised context that actually makes sense to Aussie families.
The Bottom Line
Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer, Matt Kaufman, summed it up best by noting that safety is a journey, not a static feature. While no digital space is 100% foolproof, this update moves the needle significantly toward a “safety-by-default” model.
By the time the June school holidays roll around, the Roblox experience will look a lot different for millions of children and thankfully a lot more manageable for their parents.
