Roblox Parents Guide: Parental Controls, Chat and Safety

Roblox changed a lot in the past year. Chat now needs an age check, children under 16 get their own account types, and parents manage everything from their own linked account. Many older guides still describe the old Parent PIN and settings that no longer exist.

This guide covers how Roblox works for kids as of October 2026, what a linked parent account lets you control at each age, and the exact steps to set it up. Everything here comes from Roblox's own parent pages, Safety Center, help center and newsroom. Roblox says ages, settings and features vary by region, so treat the ages below as the standard and check your child's own settings screen.

How Roblox accounts work now

Roblox places users into an account type by age. The placement uses an age check (a facial age estimate or a government ID), and a linked parent can correct the age if it comes out wrong.

Kids accounts move to Select at 9, and Select moves to standard Roblox at 16. Kids accounts also use a blue background across the app, so you can tell at a glance which account your child is in.

A child who has not done an age check is placed by the birthday they entered: 5 to 8 get the Kids game catalogue, 9 and up get the Select catalogue. They cannot chat at all until they complete an age check.

Roblox rolled these accounts out globally on June 16, 2026, after first launching them in Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Content maturity labels

Every game on Roblox carries a content maturity label:

• Minimal: occasional mild violence, light unrealistic blood, occasional mild fear.
• Mild: repeated mild violence, mild crude humor, repeated mild fear.
• Moderate: moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor.
• Restricted: strong violence, romantic themes, alcohol, strong language. Only for age-checked adults, so a child's account never sees these.

Games for Kids and Select accounts also go through an extra review, and Roblox keeps games built around social hangouts, free-form drawing and sensitive issues out of those catalogues.

From the Parental Controls page you can adjust:

• Content maturity slider: lower or raise the level allowed (for Kids accounts and Select users under 13).
• Blocked games: block a specific game whatever its label. A blocked game still shows up in search, and if your child is playing it when you block it, the block applies the next time they join.
• Allowed games: your child can request a game that is not in their catalogue, and you allow or decline it from the email or your Pending requests. Restricted games can never be allowed.
• Sensitive issues: games themed on current social, political or religious issues are blocked for under-13s by default, with a toggle for parents.

Roblox says it will move to the International Age Rating Coalition framework, which means regional ratings such as ESRB in the US and PEGI in much of Europe and the UK. Expect the labels you see to change when that happens.

Age checks and facial age estimation

Roblox requires an age check before anyone can chat. The requirement started in a few countries in early December 2025 and rolled out globally from January 7, 2026, wherever chat is available. The check itself is optional: a child who skips it can still play, but cannot chat.

There are two ways to complete it:

• Facial age estimation: a quick selfie check from Settings, then Account info, then Age Group. Roblox's vendor, Persona, processes the images and video, and Roblox says they are deleted right after processing.
• ID verification: a government-issued photo ID plus a selfie. This is only available to users 13 and older.

Make sure your child is the one in front of the camera, not you. Roblox suggests doing the check on your own account first so you know what to expect, and linking your parent account before your child's check, since you need it if the age has to be corrected.

If the estimate puts a child under 13 in the wrong group, a linked parent can fix it in Parental Controls by tapping the pencil icon next to the birthday. You can only change it once, so enter the right date. Teens 13 and up can also correct their age with ID verification. Roblox has also said it will ask users to repeat the check when their behavior suggests they are much older or younger than their age group.

Chat and voice chat

After an age check, Roblox sorts users into chat age groups. Each group can chat with similar ages, and the whole system is built to stop children under 16 chatting with adults:

Trusted friends (Roblox used to call them Trusted Connections) are people your child knows in real life, such as family or school friends. They can chat across age groups. Both people must be age checked. For a child under 13, a trusted friend request needs your approval, which arrives by email or as a pending request in Parental Controls. You have 24 hours to approve it; if you miss that, your child can send the request again. If you link your account, are age checked and add your child as a friend, you become their trusted friend automatically and can chat with them.

What each age gets:

• Ages 5 to 8 (Kids): all chat is off. A parent can turn on in-game chat and one-on-one chat in games, text only, with age-appropriate users and trusted friends. Chat outside games stays off.
• Ages 9 to 12 (Select): in-game chat is on with age-appropriate users. The Chat tab (messaging friends outside a game) works with trusted friends only. One-on-one chat in games is off unless a parent turns it on. Parents can turn chat off completely for under-13s.
• Ages 13 to 15 (Select): the Chat tab can be set to trusted friends or all age-appropriate friends. Voice calls with trusted friends are on by default, and a parent can switch them off. In-game voice chat is off unless a parent turns it on.
• 13 and up: chats with trusted friends in direct Party Chat are unfiltered, but Roblox says they are still monitored for child safety.

Roblox has never allowed image sharing in chat, and its filters try to block personal information, links and attempts to move a conversation to another app.

Spending and Robux limits

Robux is Roblox's in-game currency. You can control how much your child spends:

• Monthly spending limit: covers Robux and subscriptions to individual games. It resets at the end of each calendar month and does not roll over. You are not notified when the limit is hit; your child just cannot buy more that month.
• Gift cards are not covered. Redeeming a gift card is not blocked by the spending limit.
• Spending notifications: choose every transaction, high spend alerts only, or none. High spend alerts are on by default and fire after $100, $250 and $500 in a month (or the local equivalent).
• Age limits: monthly spending limits only apply until your child turns 13. For ages 13 to 17 you can keep spending notifications on under Parental Controls, then Spending Insights.
• Consoles: the Roblox limit may not apply on some consoles and does not cover Xbox, so set a spending limit or purchase approval on the console itself too.
• Robux transfers: Roblox Plus subscribers can send Robux to others. Anyone under 18 needs parent approval for every transfer they send or receive.
• Trading: for Premium or Plus subscribers, trading can be set to Friends or No one.

If your child wants Robux from a physical toy or gift card, our guide on where to redeem Roblox toy codes shows how redemption works.

Screen time limits

You can set a daily limit on time spent in Roblox. When it is reached, your child sees a message and cannot use Roblox for the rest of that day. This is available for all Kids accounts and for Select users aged 9 to 12.

At 13, your child takes over their own screen time limit. You can still see screen time insights and their top games, so Roblox suggests talking it through and letting them set a sensible limit themselves.

Friends, reporting and blocking

• See who they connect with: Parental Controls shows your child's friends with their avatars, and you can open any profile.
• Block a friend: use the three-dot menu next to the name. A blocked user cannot chat directly with your child or add them again without your permission.
• Report a friend: the same menu files a report with Roblox.
• At 13, blocking moves to your child. You keep visibility into who they are friends with.
• Your child can report too. Show them the report button inside games and on profiles, and tell them to come to you when something feels wrong.

Privacy settings

From Parental Controls you can also manage:

• Inventory visibility: who can see the items your child owns (Everyone, friends, or No one).
• Private servers: whether only friends can join your child's private servers, or nobody.
• Social media links: Roblox says only age-checked users 16 and up can share or see social media links on profiles, game pages and communities.

At 13, your child starts managing their own account information (email and phone) and ad preferences.

How to set up parental controls, step by step

1. Make sure your child has an account with the right birthday. The birthday decides their account type and settings until they complete an age check.
2. Open your child's settings. On their device, go to Settings (gear icon on desktop, More then Settings on mobile), then Parental Controls, then Add parent.
3. Enter your email. Roblox sends instructions to create a parent account or link an existing one.
4. Verify you are an adult. Follow the onscreen steps with a government-issued ID or a credit card.
5. Agree to link. Once verified, select Agree and your account gets parent controls for your child.
6. Manage settings from your own device. Sign in to your account and open Settings, then Parental Controls, then pick your child.
7. Set the basics: content maturity, chat settings, voice chat, spending limit and notifications, and screen time.
8. Review blocked and requested games. Block anything you do not want, and approve requests you are happy with.
9. Do the age check together. Have your child complete the selfie check so chat and age-based settings work. Correct the birthday if the result is wrong.
10. Check back on birthdays. Settings change at 9, 13 and 16, and Roblox messages you both when a milestone hits. At 18 the accounts unlink automatically.

To unlink earlier, go to Settings, then Parental Controls, select your child, tap the pencil icon and choose Unlink accounts. Unlinking removes your ability to approve requests, manage privacy, and set screen time or spending limits.

Talking to your child

Settings help, but Roblox itself says no system is foolproof and recommends pairing age checks with parental controls and regular conversations. A few habits cover the gaps:

• Ask what games they like and play one with them.
• Agree on a rule that nobody gets Robux, gift card codes or account details, even a friend.
• Tell them that a request to move the chat to another app is a red flag. Roblox's chat filters cannot protect them there.
• Make it clear they will not be punished for telling you about something odd. Fear of losing Roblox is the main reason kids hide problems.

If you want the same kind of oversight outside games, our roundup of free Life360 alternatives for families covers location sharing apps. And if your child likes to build and upload pictures, our guide to Roblox image IDs and decal IDs explains how uploads work and what gets removed in moderation.

FAQs

Is Roblox safe for kids?

Roblox now requires age checks for chat, puts under-16s in Kids and Select accounts with reviewed games, and gives parents controls through a linked account. Roblox itself says no system is foolproof, so linking your account and staying involved matters more than any single setting.

What age is Roblox for?

Anyone 5 and up can play, but Roblox places users by age: Roblox Kids for 5 to 8, Roblox Select for 9 to 15, and standard Roblox for 16 and up. Exact ages vary by region.

Can my child chat on Roblox without an age check?

No. Users who have not completed an age check cannot chat, whatever their age. Chat is also off by default for Kids accounts until a parent turns it on.

How do I link my account to my child's Roblox account?

On your child's account, go to Settings, then Parental Controls, then Add parent, and enter your email. Follow the emailed steps, verify your age with a government-issued ID or credit card, and select Agree. Then manage everything from your own device.

Does Roblox still have a Parent PIN?

No. Roblox replaced Parent PIN with linked parent accounts, which let you change your child's settings from your own device.

Can I limit how much my child spends on Robux?

Yes. Under Parental Controls you can set a monthly spending limit and choose spending notifications. Limits apply until your child turns 13, they do not cover gift card redemptions, and some consoles (including Xbox) need a limit set on the console itself.

Can I set a time limit on Roblox?

Yes, for Kids accounts and Select users aged 9 to 12. Set a daily screen time limit in Parental Controls, and once it is reached your child cannot use Roblox for the rest of the day. From 13, your child manages their own limit.

What if the age check gets my child's age wrong?

If your child was estimated under 13, a linked parent can correct the birthday once in Parental Controls. Teens 13 and up can also correct it with ID verification.

How do I block someone on my child's account?

Open your child's friends in Parental Controls, tap the three-dot menu next to the person and choose Block. You can report them from the same menu. From 13, your child manages blocking themselves.