Roblox to Implement Age-Based Account and Game Development Regulations Next Month... "Parental Approval Required for Higher-Tier Games"

Accounts Divided by Age Group: Kids, Select, and General
Paid Subscriptions and Other Requirements for All-Ages Game Exposure
“Long-Term Perspective” Amid Pressure from the US, UK, and Others

Roblox will implement new global regulations from early next month that divide accounts into three types based on age, in order to strengthen child safety.

Provided by Roblox

On May 19 (local time), Roblox announced that it would first introduce its account separation system in four countries—New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia, and Indonesia—and then expand it globally in early June.

Accounts will be categorized into Kids (ages 5–8), Select (ages 9–15), and General (ages 16 and above). Each account tier will grant access to different games and impose specific chat restrictions. As soon as users log in, their accounts will be segmented; if age verification is not completed, the account will be classified as Kids by default. Additionally, if a child wants to access higher-tier games, real-time approval codes or permission from the linked parent account will be required.

This will also introduce new requirements for game development. Developers wishing to expose their games to Kids and Select users must meet certain conditions. In addition to mandatory two-step identity verification, they must either pay a release fee of 1,000 Robux (Robux: the in-game virtual currency used to purchase digital items) per game or maintain a Roblox Plus subscription (USD 4.99 per month) for two consecutive months. The same requirements apply to game updates. Above all, games featuring social chatroom maps, free drawing, or one-on-one chat functions will be completely blocked for Kids and Select accounts.

Roblox stated, “Kids and Select accounts will help parents understand what their children are doing within Roblox,” adding that “we will continue to expand our safety systems in line with global regulations.” The company also emphasized that, “if developers operate their games in a healthy manner for 90 days without violating the guidelines, the entire 1,000 Robux release fee will be refunded,” stressing that the purpose of this policy is filtering rather than revenue generation.

This decision by Roblox was made from a long-term perspective. This comes as several countries, including Russia and some Middle Eastern nations, have blocked access to Roblox, and in the United States, state governments have filed a series of lawsuits related to child safety. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and Europe have issued warnings under the “Digital Services Act” and “Online Safety Act.”

However, there are concerns that Roblox’s unique appeal as a sandbox-style open ecosystem—where anyone can create anything without restriction and freely interact—may be diluted. CNBC reported that new Robux purchases (top-ups) by Roblox users this year are expected to fall short of initial forecasts by as much as USD 1 billion (approximately KRW 1.5 trillion).

An industry official commented, “Roblox’s move to strengthen safety regulations, even at the cost of limiting the metaverse platform’s appeal for free communication, suggests just how urgent the situation is. If this opportunity is used to clean up unnecessary games or risky channels, the platform’s image could improve as a provider of higher-quality content.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.