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Roblox is tightening the reins — but critics say it’s way too late.
The California-based gaming giant announced Monday it will launch new age-based accounts starting in June, splitting younger users into tighter-controlled categories as pressure mounts over child safety on the platform.
Kids ages 5 to 8 will be placed into “Roblox Kids” accounts — with no chat access at all and strict limits on what games they can play. Older users, 9 to 15, will be funneled into “Roblox Select” accounts, where chat is still restricted and content is capped at moderate levels.
Roblox says the updates will give parents more control and cut down on risky interactions between kids and strangers. But the crackdown comes as lawsuits accuse the platform of exposing children to serious harm.
As The California Post has reported, one explosive lawsuit claims a young girl spiraled into suicidal thoughts and crippling depression after becoming hooked on Roblox at just 7 years old.
Court filings paint a grim picture, alleging the child was exposed to harmful content she couldn’t escape.
“These harms L.L. didn’t seek out or want. They were harms L.L. became unable to avoid.”
The case is part of a sweeping legal battle involving more than 20 plaintiffs across 14 states, targeting tech giants including Meta, Google and ByteDance — with claims that addictive platforms are fueling a mental health crisis among kids.
Roblox, one of the most widely used platforms among teens, “failed to take reasonable steps to protect the children it targeted,” the lawsuit says.
The company is also facing a separate civil suit from Los Angeles County, which alleges the platform created a “largely unsupervised online world” where adults and minors can interact with little oversight.
Roblox has pushed back, insisting safety has always been a priority.
“Roblox is built with safety at its core, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day,” a spokesperson told NBC News. “We have advanced safeguards that monitor our platform for harmful content and communications, and users cannot send or receive images via chat, avoiding one of the most prevalent opportunities for misuse seen elsewhere online.”
Still, the timing of the new rules is raising eyebrows.
With more than 144 million daily users and billions of hours logged, critics argue the platform had years to implement tougher protections — and is only acting now under legal and public pressure.
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