Roblox introduces ‘Kids’ and ‘Choose’ accounts for age-appropriate games and social interaction

Roblox is introducing new account types designed to give kids and teens access to social media and games, the company announced Monday.

The move comes as Roblox launched age appropriate assessment in January for all users who want to access chat. Likewise age assessment technology will be used to provide users with new accounts. As part of the update, users who have not completed the age rating will be able to play several games rated for a younger audience.

Users aged five to nine will be assigned a “Roblox Kids” account, and users aged nine to 15 will be assigned to a “Roblox Select” account. Users 16 years of age and older will be logged into a regular Roblox account. However, only users over the age of 18 can access “Prohibited,” which includes strong violence, romantic themes, strong language, and more.

The new accounts are available worldwide in early June. Roblox says it will give users a transition period where it will allow all existing users to bypass the age verification process.

Users with Roblox Kids accounts will be able to play games with “Low” or “Moderate” ratings, which refer to occasional violent content, crude humor, and mild horror. Chats will be closed by default to children under nine. The only way a person with a Child account can talk to another user is if their parent chooses the specific people their child is allowed to talk to.

Users with Roblox Select accounts will have access to “Moderate” games and will be able to chat with users of the same age.

Parents have the option to approve certain games for their children that are not available under their account restrictions. For example, if a younger sibling wants to play games that aren’t available on their Roblox Kids account with their older sibling, a parent can give permission for them to play the game.

Both Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts only include games that have passed Roblox’s three-step review process.

The first step is software verification. Before their games can be considered for Roblox Kids or Roblox Select accounts, developers must meet certain requirements. If they are under the age of 16, they must complete ID verification or maintain an Internet connection linked to a parent’s account. Their account must also have two-factor authentication.

Additionally, they must have a Roblox Plus subscription. Roblox Pluswhich was launched last week and costs $4.99 per month, unlocks exclusive benefits, discounts on game play and avatars, and more. Roblox Premium, the company’s current subscription, will no longer accept new sign-ups once Roblox Plus launches on April 30.

After the verification of the software, Roblox will test the reality of the game with users aged 16 and over, who will play the game first and provide feedback and reports, which Roblox says will help evaluate the experience before the game is offered to younger users. Roblox will also use its multimodal analysis system to determine whether games violate its rules.

Finally, games must meet the requirements of being played by young users, including having appropriate maturity ratings.

The recent changes to Roblox follow several lawsuits, including one from the attorney general of Louisiana and Texasagainst Roblox for child protection. Cases were filed the following reports that Roblox was targeting young users to dangerous threats, such as grooming and visible objects.