Roblox Just Rolled Out New Parental Controls: Here’s What to Do First

If you have a gaming kid, chances are you’ve heard plenty about Roblox. If your kids are talking about “rivals,” “Steal Brainrot” or “noobs,” you’re not alone: Every day, more than 130 million users around the world log in to play. 

But last week, Roblox introduced new account types and controls, including Roblox Kids and Roblox Select. The accounts are aligned to the child’s age, while giving parents more control and “final say” over their kids’ time on the platform, according to Roblox’s senior director of global parental advocacy, Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov. According to the Roblox announcement, the changes don’t affect the accounts of those over age 16.

“The same age-check technology we rolled out in January for chat now controls which games kids can access,” says Milovidov. “Parents can further customize their child’s experience using parental controls. If a game is not on Roblox Kids or Roblox Select, parents can add it to an approved games list via parental controls.” Here’s what parents should know about the changes.

Roblox controls by age group

Roblox Kids (for ages 5–8): These accounts are for the youngest group of players, Milovidov says, and have gone through an additional three-step review before reaching the child. “Kids’ accounts will have games that are rated Minimal or Mild. These accounts have a blue background so you can see at a glance that your child is in the right place.”

Roblox Select (for ages 9–15): Kids in this account type will have access to games rated up to Moderate, and also only include games that have been through that same three-step review. “Chat is introduced gradually, with protections in place,” says Milovidov, “and where chat is available, kids can only communicate with peers in similar age groups or with Trusted Friends — a special designation for people they know and trust.”

Extended parent controls

According to Roblox’s announcement, extended parent controls are now available, including blocking specific games through age 15, managing chat settings through age 15, and approving specific games otherwise not available to that account type. This is designed to give parents more precise control, according to the company.

Not sure where to start? Milovidov recommends three steps:

1. Link a parent account
2. Check your child’s current account type and update it if needed
3. Spend 20 minutes playing together 

“You’ll understand more from one gaming session than from reading any guides,” she says, “and it opens the door to real conversations about who they’re playing with and what they’d do if something felt wrong.” New to the platform entirely? Start with our Roblox explainer before diving in.

Other settings to check

Parental controls aren’t new, but the account types are. Roblox already lets parents set screen time limits, manage spending and control how their child connects with others. If you haven’t set those up yet, now is a good time to do that.  

The new account types also add a few capabilities worth turning on, especially if you haven’t checked your settings in a while. You can now block specific games, approve titles outside your child’s default catalog and manage direct chat settings through age 15.

If you want the accounts to automatically age and mature with the kids, remember to update their age. “These age-based accounts are designed to reduce constant decision-making. Guardrails are built in by default,” Milovidov says. “Have your kid do their age check, check-in periodically as they’re playing and keep the conversation open with your kid. That combination is more durable than trying to monitor every session in real time.” 

If you don’t want that, pay special attention to this: According to the Roblox website, if you do not do an age check in, games will be limited to the younger age group’s setting (mild to moderate). If you do an age check in, the account type will transition automatically when the child turns 9 to the next type of account that includes “moderate” rated games, and the standard Roblox account when they turn 16. 

A checklist for kids on Roblox

Think of this as a quick safety conversation, not a lecture. Cover these four topics with your kids and continue to check in every few months. 

• How to block and report a user, plus tell parents they are doing it and why
• How to talk to parents when something feels “off,” even if they can’t explain why
• How to identify trusted friends on Roblox, plus, how to add and talk to those friends
• How to respond if asked for personal information, passwords, address or other identifying information 

“Roblox doesn’t allow image or video sharing in chat, and text filters catch attempts to share personal information or move conversations off the platform — all firm guardrails aimed at keeping kids safe on the platform,” Milovidov says, but it’s important for kids to know that those things shouldn’t be happening and what to do if they do.

Kids can also explore the newly released Learning Hub, which includes: Civic Responsibility through Better Blocks, Climate Science via BBC Bitesize’s Planet Planners, or coding through Lua Learning and CodeCombat Worlds, where anyone can learn to code using interactive lessons, guides and tutorials to help them create their own games. Parents can also visit the resource page to further understand safety concerns and solutions.