Roblox, the beloved gaming platform for millions of children worldwide, is stepping up its safety measures with a significant update aimed at protecting its younger audience. Starting Monday, Roblox will begin restricting messaging features for users under the age of 13 unless explicit permission is granted by a verified parent or guardian. The full rollout of these changes is expected by March 2025.

What’s Changing?

For children under 13, direct messaging within games will be disabled by default. To enable this feature, parents or guardians must verify their identity through a government-issued ID or credit card linked to the child’s account.

However, young players will still be able to engage in public, visible conversations within games, ensuring they can socialize with friends in a safer environment.

Enhanced Parental Controls

Roblox is introducing robust tools for parents, allowing them to:

• View their child’s friends list.
• Monitor their activity.
• Set daily playtime limits.

These updates are part of Roblox’s broader mission to provide a safer gaming experience, particularly for children aged eight to 12, a demographic where the platform dominates according to Ofcom research in the UK.

A Commitment to Evolving Safety

Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer, highlighted the company’s dedication to user safety, revealing that over 10% of Roblox’s workforce—thousands of employees—focus exclusively on safety features.

“As our platform has grown in scale, we have always recognized that our approach to safety must evolve with it,” Kaufman stated.

He also emphasized the importance of accurate age entry during account creation and encouraged parents to actively participate in setting up their child’s account.

Identity Verification: A Key Step Forward

To activate messaging and other features for children under 13, parents must verify their identity. This step aligns with a growing industry trend aimed at ensuring safer online spaces. Although identity verification can be a hurdle for many tech companies, Roblox views it as a crucial step to bolster child safety.

Why This Matters

With 88 million daily active users, Roblox has become a cultural phenomenon, but its popularity among younger audiences has also attracted scrutiny over child safety. These updates signal Roblox’s commitment to addressing concerns, empowering parents, and creating a safer gaming environment for children.