Roblox is updating its protections for children under 13 to improve children’s safety while using the platform. 

The biggest changes announced today include giving parents the ability to remotely control their child’s experience, and stopping young users from messaging others outside of games. The changes will come into effect in Q1 2025. 

And starting today, parents are now able to remotely manage their kids’ Roblox account, which includes imposing limits on time spent and reviewing what kids are playing. Before this change, parents had to use their child’s device to check these elements. 

The new default settings only let kids under 13 broadcast messages within games, and not directly message others. 

The platform worked with the National Association for Media Literacy Education and the Family Online Safety Institute to develop these most recent safeguards. 

These changes are in addition to the most recent safety features Roblox introduced earlier this month—changes which include forcing creators to label games made for kids. Another change included in the previously announced update, is that younger kids are banned from accessing club/social group type experiences, called Social Hangouts, where they can text or voice-chat with others.  

Roblox had roughly 80 million daily active users as of Q2 2024, and 32 million of those are under 13. The game platform has repeatedly come under fire from critics who say it isn’t doing enough to protect kids from predators and inappropriate content. The platform is aiming to address these concerns with the new safety features and the launch of its first Teen Council—a group of 14- to 17-year-olds who provide insights on how Roblox can be safer for kids. 

“While there is no ‘perfect’ when it comes to online safety, our overall approach is systematic and thoughtful,” said Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer. “Our goal is to make Roblox the safest and most civil online platform possible because it is the right thing for children, their parents and caregivers, our investors, and our company.”