Is Roblox safe for kids? It can be, if you set it up first, and it's a lot better set up than it was a year ago. As of November 2026, nobody can chat without an age check, and kids under 9 get a locked-down account with chat off by default. It's still a huge platform where strangers make the games, so "safe" depends on the settings and on the age Roblox thinks your child is. Here's what the risks are, what Roblox has changed, and what I'd do for a 7-year-old versus a 12-year-old.
The short answer
- Under 9: fine with setup. Link your account, leave chat off, set a spending limit.
- 9 to 12: okay with supervision. Chat is where the trouble is, so keep it limited to people your kid actually knows.
- 13 and up: more freedom, fewer parent controls. Talk rather than lock down.
ESRB rates the Roblox app T for Teen, with "Users Interact" and "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)" among its notes. That tells you the shape of the risk: other people, and money.
What the real risks are
- Strangers and chat. Roblox is mostly made by other users, and kids meet other users in it. This is the one parents ask about most.
- Moving the chat elsewhere. The classic worry is a stranger asking a kid to continue on another app. A Guardian report in April 2025 described researchers' test accounts doing exactly that: an adult test avatar asked a 5-year-old test avatar for Snapchat details in barely coded language, which suggests word filters can be dodged.
- Mature games. The same researchers said a 10-year-old test avatar could reach highly suggestive environments. That report predates the age checks and the new account types below, so it describes the old setup, not today's.
- Robux. Robux is Roblox's optional in-game currency. Spending adds up quietly.
Several US state attorneys general have sued Roblox over child safety. Nebraska's, announced in March 2026, alleges Roblox exposed children to predators and misled parents about safety. Those are allegations, and Roblox says the suit misrepresents how the platform works and that it's built with safety at its core. I'd read it as a sign the questions are being asked loudly, not as a verdict.
What Roblox has changed
Age checks for chat
Since early January 2026, anyone who hasn't done an age check can't chat on Roblox, whatever their age. The check is either a face scan (age estimation, which is a guess, not proof) or, for 13 and up, an ID. After it, kids are sorted into age groups and mostly chat with their own group, nearby groups, or Trusted Friends. Roblox says the design is meant to stop kids under 16 from talking to adults. If a child is placed in the 5 to 8 or 9 to 12 groups, Roblox removes the email and phone number from the account.
The weak spot is obvious: it only works if the age is right. A parent can correct a child's age through a linked parent account.
Roblox Kids and Roblox Select
Since June 2026, accounts come in age-based tiers, and kids move up automatically:
| Account | Ages | Game content | Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roblox Kids | 5–8 | Minimal or Mild | Off by default; a parent can allow text chat for age-checked kids |
| Roblox Select | 9–15 | Minimal, Mild or Moderate | Introduced gradually, with safeguards, after an age check |
| Roblox | 16+ | Everything except Restricted | On by default after an age check |
Kids and Select games get extra review. Developers have to verify their ID, and social hangouts, free-form drawing and sensitive-issues games are left out. That's a real improvement over the open catalog.
Content labels
Games carry a maturity label: Minimal, Mild, Moderate, Restricted (18+, age-checked), or Content May Vary. The creator fills in the questionnaire themselves, so a label is a creator's answer, not an inspector's. The Guardian researchers quoted games with inaccurate descriptions and ratings. Use the labels, but don't treat them as a guarantee. "Content May Vary" means the creator hasn't finished the questionnaire, and it isn't available to under-9s.
The settings checklist
Link your own Roblox account to your child's, or use Parent mode on their device. Parent mode works without a parent account, but spending alerts need a linked account. Then go to Settings (the gear on desktop; More, then Settings on mobile), open Parental controls, and pick your child's account. Under "Settings you manage":
- Content maturity. Set the slider. For a 9-year-old I'd stay at Mild. You can also block specific games, and for ages 9 to 15 you can allow one particular game that's above the setting.
- Chat. Under 9, experience chat needs your consent, and under 13, direct chat does too. Leaving both off is the safest setting. If you allow chat, limit friends chat to Trusted friends. Kids under 13 need your permission to add one.
- Who can see them. Set online status and "show current game" to Trusted friends or No one, and private servers to Friends or No one.
- Spending limit. Set a monthly limit between 0 and 10,000 in your currency. The default is no limit. It resets at month end and may not apply on some consoles. It stops applying once your child turns 13.
- Spending notifications. Choose all transactions or high-spend alerts. High-spend emails go out at $100, $250 and $500 a month.
- Screen time. Set a daily limit in 15-minute steps. There's a 7-day chart showing the top games they played, and you can get a weekly activity email too.
Social hangouts and free-form creation games stay limited to age-checked users 16 and up, even if you loosen the other settings.
Is Roblox free, and what does Roblox Plus change?
The app is free to download. The money is Robux. As ESRB listed it in August 2025, the smallest purchase was 400 Robux for $4.99, so check the store for today's prices. Roblox Plus is the subscription that replaced Premium in April 2026, starting at $4.99 a month. It adds item discounts, free private servers, trading and fee-free Robux transfers, and Premium is closed to new sign-ups. Robux transfers are a Plus feature, and younger users need parent approval each time. I'd skip Plus until your kid has a real reason, and ignore any "free Robux" offer, because that's a scam.
A verdict by age
This is my opinion, built on Roblox's own age tiers. Accounts start at 5 on Roblox Kids, and I won't go lower than that.
Is Roblox safe for 7-year-olds?
Mostly, with setup. A Kids account only shows Minimal and Mild games and has chat off by default. Link your account, keep chat off, set a monthly spending cap, and sit nearby for the first sessions. If their friends are already playing (and they will be), you can pick games together and let them play with people you know.
Is Roblox safe for 10-year-olds?
It's okay, but this is the age where chat and spending become the problem. Select accounts reach Moderate games and chat opens up gradually. I'd leave direct chat off, or limit it to a short list of Trusted friends who are real-life friends, and keep the spending limit on. You still have full parental controls through age 12.
13 and up
Parent controls get thinner. Teens manage their own screen time and blocking, spending limits stop applying at 13, and from 16 you mostly see notifications and activity updates. At that point, the conversation matters more than the settings: never share personal information or passwords, block and report anyone who pushes, and tell you when something feels off.
So, is Roblox safe for kids?
Safer than it was, not safe by default. The age checks, the Kids and Select tiers and the spending tools are real, and I'd use all of them. The gaps are that a wrong age puts a kid in the wrong bucket, labels are self-reported, and no filter replaces a parent knowing what their child is playing.
If you'd rather start somewhere with fewer strangers, my picks of safe games like Roblox for kids and games like Minecraft for kids are a good place to start, and there's a bigger list of free games like Roblox. Weighing it against the other giant kids' game? Read Minecraft vs Roblox and whether Minecraft is safe for kids. If your child wants to build games rather than just play them, see these Roblox Studio alternatives.