Roblox now places every player under 16 into one of two account types: Roblox Kids for ages 5 to 8 and Roblox Select for ages 9 to 15. Announced on April 13, 2026, both tiers went live worldwide on June 16, 2026, and they control which games a child can find, who they can chat with and what parents can override. The change builds on the AI-powered child safety features Roblox has added over the past year.
Roblox first tested the tiers in Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands and New Zealand in May 2026 before the global launch, according to the official Roblox announcement. Players 16 and older keep standard accounts with no changes, though Restricted games still require users to be 18+.
What are Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts?
Both are age-based account types that replace the old one-size-fits-all experience for younger players. Each tier only shows games that pass a Roblox screening process, drawn from a catalog of thousands of titles that updates continuously.
Roblox Kids applies the strictest defaults, and the app uses a distinct background color so parents can spot the account type at a glance. Roblox Select gives broader access with extra safeguards and its own visual treatment.
Accounts move up automatically. A child shifts from Kids to Select at age 9 and from Select to a standard account at age 16.
Roblox Kids vs Roblox Select: Key differences
| Feature | Roblox Kids | Roblox Select |
|---|---|---|
| Ages | 5 to 8 | 9 to 15 |
| Game maturity labels | Minimal, Mild | Minimal, Mild, Moderate |
| Experience chat | Off by default (parent can enable) | On, with age-appropriate users and trusted friends |
| Direct chat | Off by default | Off by default |
| Voice chat | Not available | 13 to 15 only, off by default |
| Social hangouts, free-form drawing, sensitive-issue games | Excluded by default | Excluded by default |
| Parent game approval | Yes | Yes |
Importantly, ages and features vary by region, so the boundaries above reflect most markets rather than every country.
Roblox Select works differently for ages 9 to 12 & 13 to 15
Most coverage treats Roblox Select as one tier. However, Roblox’s own safety-by-age settings split it into two groups with different chat rules.
- Ages 9 to 12: Experience chat is on with similar-age users and trusted friends in the same game. The Chat tab only works with trusted friends, and voice chat isn’t available at all.
- Ages 13 to 15: The Chat tab opens up to friends in a similar age group, not just trusted friends. In-game voice chat stays off by default, but parents can turn it on, and voice calling works with trusted friends.
Notably, some early reports claimed Select users can only chat with parent-approved contacts. That isn’t accurate for most regions. Only Roblox Kids keeps chat off unless a parent switches it on, and even then a Kids user can only chat with users aged 5 to 12 and trusted friends.
How Roblox picks games for Kids and Select accounts
A game only appears on Kids or Select accounts if it clears three checks:
- Developer verification: The creator needs ID verification, two-step verification and an active Roblox Plus subscription ($4.99 per month).
- Real-time evaluation: Players 16 and older play new games first, and Roblox reviews their reports alongside its multimodal moderation system.
- Content criteria: The game needs a qualifying maturity label and can’t fall into the excluded categories.
The catch here is the developer paywall. Small or hobbyist creators who skip Roblox Plus won’t reach players under 16, even if their game is entirely harmless. Roblox says age-checked users under 16 will still keep access to the vast majority of their favorite games.
Hangout and drawing games also disappear by default. If your child plays one of these with friends, you’ll need to approve it manually.
How Roblox assigns the right account type
Roblox places users into a tier through its age-check system or through a verified parent account. Age checks use Facial Age Estimation, processed by vendor Persona, which deletes images and videos after processing. Independent testing found an average error of 1.4 years for users under 18.
Users 13 and older can verify with a government-issued photo ID instead. The guide on how to verify your age on Roblox walks through both methods.
Players who skip the age check get a limited set of younger-rated games and no chat at all. Once the rollout fully completes, unchecked users can’t access standard accounts or chat, regardless of their real age. If Roblox places your child in the wrong tier, a linked parent can correct the age through the Help Center.
New parental controls that come with both tiers
Linked parents already manage content ratings, communication, screen time and spending limits. The new tiers add three controls:
- Block individual games until age 16. Previously, players over 13 could unblock games on their own.
- Approve specific games outside the child’s default tier, useful when a younger sibling wants to play with an older one.
- Manage direct chat settings through age 15.
Additionally, Roblox now blocks users under 16 from sharing or viewing social media links on profiles, game pages, Community pages and the Creator Hub. Links, images and videos remain blocked in chat for everyone. To control who your child talks to, set up trusted connections on Roblox.
Signing Off
Roblox Kids and Roblox Select turn age into the main filter for games and chat on the platform, arriving as several US states pursue child-safety lawsuits against the company. Roblox also plans to adopt IARC global age ratings such as ESRB and PEGI, which could change how games qualify for each tier.
If your child’s experience looks different after an age check, start by reviewing the Roblox account status page and the parental controls linked to their account.
Roblox Kids covers players aged 5 to 8 in most regions. At age 9, the account moves to Roblox Select automatically.
No. Select users chat with similar-age players by default, and users 16 and older can’t start chats with them. Adults can only connect through trusted connections, which require the younger user to be 13 or older.
Roblox announced the tiers on April 13, 2026, tested them in four countries in May and rolled them out worldwide on June 16, 2026.
Yes. The game approval feature lets linked parents unlock specific games outside a child’s default tier.
They get access to a limited selection of younger-rated games and no chat. Completing the check moves them to the correct tier automatically.
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