Is Roblox safe for a young child?

It depends on the settings, because Roblox is made of games created by other users. Roblox runs Roblox Kids accounts for ages 5 to 8 with Minimal or Mild content, and Roblox Select for ages 9 to 15. Link your account, check the content maturity level, and decide about chat before they play.

Do I need my own Roblox account to set parental controls?

For the full set of controls, yes: a linked parent account that Roblox has age-checked as 18 or older. Roblox also describes a Parent mode that works on the child's device without your own account, and says it is rolling out gradually.

Can my child chat with strangers on Roblox?

Roblox says users who have not completed an age check cannot chat, and that age checks are meant to keep children under 16 from chatting with adults. Your child may still reach other users through chat features a game's creator builds in, which the chat settings do not cover. Turn chat off and talk about what to do if someone asks them to move to another app.

What happens to the controls when my child turns 13?

Your child starts managing their own screen-time limits and blocking of other players, and spending limits no longer apply, so after 13 you can no longer cap what they spend. You can still manage direct chat and allowed and blocked games, add Robux to their account and see activity. From 16 the settings you manage shrink to notifications and activity updates, and at 18 the accounts are unlinked.

Is Roblox rated by ESRB or PEGI?

ESRB rates Roblox T for Teen, with the descriptors Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, Users Interact and In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items). Roblox's own pages use its content maturity labels (Minimal, Mild, Moderate, Restricted) and say IARC age ratings start rolling out in January 2027, starting with Australia.

Updated November 12, 2026Agent researchedEditor reviewed

Roblox parental controls, set up properly

Roblox is a platform of games made by other users, with chat inside many of them. Its parental controls are detailed, but some stop covering things at 13, and they do not reach chat that a game's creator builds in. Here is the setup, step by step, and the gaps.

Reviewed by SafeMama editorial · November 12, 2026

Roblox is not one game. It is a platform of games made by other people, so the useful controls are who can chat with your child and how mature the games they can open are. Link your own account to your child's, set both, and know that at 13 your child takes over screen time and blocking other players.

The short version

Roblox's parental controls let a parent with a linked, age-checked adult account set a content maturity level, switch chat on or off, manage friends, set a monthly spending limit and a daily screen-time limit, and read weekly activity emails. They stop short of chat features a game's creator builds into their own game, they do not hide over-level games from search results, and several of them change as a child reaches 13 and again at 16. Settings as of November 2026.

At a glance

SafeMama view: Roblox's parental controls let a parent with a linked, age-checked adult account set a content maturity level, switch chat on or off, manage friends, set a monthly spending limit and a daily screen-time limit, and read weekly activity emails. They stop short of chat features a game's creator builds into their own game, they do not hide over-level games from search results, and several of them change as a child reaches 13 and again at 16. Settings as of November 2026.
Easy swap: Link accounts before anything else

Where Roblox setups go wrong

Setting it up on your child's account only — Without a linked parent account, you cannot change settings from your own device or get activity emails. Roblox's Parent mode is a device-based alternative that it describes as rolling out gradually.
Assuming the chat switch covers everything — Roblox says its chat settings apply to experience chat and direct chat, not to chat features added by the creator of a game.
Trusting the content level to hide games — Roblox says games above the selected maturity level may still show in search results or ads. They are not playable, but the child sees them.
Forgetting what changes at 13 — From age 13 a child manages their own screen-time limits and blocking of other players, and spending limits stop applying. Plan the conversation before then.
Letting a child's account claim a wrong age — Roblox's settings key off the age on the account. A parent can correct a child's age once through a linked account, before ID verification.

What the risk actually is on Roblox

Roblox is a platform where other people, including other children, build the games. That is why it is both creative and hard to rate. Three things matter for a parent:

Who can talk to your child. Many games have chat. Roblox says users who have not completed an age check cannot chat on the platform at all, and that the checks are designed to keep children under 16 from communicating with adults. That does not mean strangers cannot reach your child. Roblox's safety page says that in Roblox Select accounts (ages 9 to 15), experience chat is on between all age-appropriate users and trusted friends playing the same game, so your child can talk to players they do not know. If you do not want that, turn experience chat off (step 4).
How mature a game is. Each game has a content maturity label that its creator fills in. Roblox says games without a completed questionnaire are labeled "Content May Vary".
What your child can spend. Roblox runs on Robux, bought with real money. The default spending limit is "No limit".

The age rating, and who kids actually meet

Roblox sets its own age bands. Roblox Kids is for ages 5 to 8 (Minimal or Mild content, chat off by default). Roblox Select is for ages 9 to 15, with Minimal, Mild and Moderate content and chat introduced gradually. From 16, all rated content except Restricted (18 and over) is available. These are Roblox's descriptions on its own help pages, and it notes that ages and standard settings vary by region.

Roblox also controls who can chat with whom by age group. Its safety FAQ says players aged 9 to 12 can chat with players under 16, and players aged 13 to 15 with players aged 9 to 17. Chat needs an age check first.

ESRB rates Roblox T for Teen, with the descriptors Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, Users Interact and In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items). Roblox says IARC ratings start rolling out in January 2027, starting with Australia.

The setup, step by step

Settings as of November 2026. Roblox changes its menus often, so if a label differs, the Roblox pages linked at the bottom are the source.

1. Link your account to your child's. On your child's account, open Settings (the gear icon on desktop, or More then the gear on mobile), then Parental Controls, then Add parent. Roblox asks you to verify that you are an adult with a government ID or a credit card, then select Agree. You can also start from the email Roblox sends you, using an account whose email matches. Roblox says the linked parent account must be age-checked as 18 or older, and that multiple parents can link to one child.

2. Open the controls. On your own account, go to Settings, then Parental controls, pick your child, and scroll to Settings you manage.

3. Set content maturity. Under Content restrictions, the slider runs Minimal, Mild, Moderate, Restricted. Start low. Use Allowed games to approve a particular game that is rated above the level, and Blocked games to block one. Roblox says a block takes effect the next time your child enters the game, not mid-session.

4. Decide about chat. Under Communication, experience chat and direct chat each have an On/Off switch. Roblox's pages give different ages for when direct chat needs parental consent, so check the switch itself rather than relying on an age. Leave it Off until you have had the conversation below.

5. Check friends. Under Friends, you can see your child's friends and trusted friends. Roblox says children under 13 need your permission to add a trusted friend.

6. Set a monthly spending limit. Under Spending restrictions, set a figure between 0 and 10,000 (Roblox's page does not give a unit, so check what the screen shows). Roblox says the default is "No limit", that the limit resets each calendar month and does not affect gift card redemption, and that it may not apply on certain consoles. Turn on spending notifications. Roblox says these need a linked parent account.

7. Set a daily screen-time limit. Under Screen time, choose Manage and set a daily limit in 15-minute steps. When the limit is reached your child cannot use Roblox for the rest of the day. This is one app, not the whole device.

8. Turn on the weekly activity email. It is the lowest-effort way to keep seeing what they play.

If your child does not have a linked parent account, Roblox's Parent mode lets you approve requests and manage most settings on your child's own device with a 6-digit PIN. Roblox says it is rolling out gradually, so it may not be available yet.

What the controls do not cover

Chat built into a game. Roblox's overview says the chat settings apply to experience chat and direct chat, not to chat features added by the creator of a game.
Over-level games in search and ads. Roblox says games above the chosen level may still appear in search results or ads, but are not playable.
A younger child changing their own level. Roblox says users under 13 can lower the content maturity level on their own account, though some values may need parent permission.
Everything after 13. Your child manages their own screen time and blocking of other players, and spending limits stop. At 16 you see only notifications, spending notifications and activity updates.
Other apps. Roblox's controls only cover Roblox. If a conversation moves to another app, those apps' own settings apply, such as Discord or Snapchat.
Other devices. Device-level limits, such as Screen Time on iPhone and iPad or Google Family Link, are separate and worth setting too.

What to say to your child

"I'm setting this up with you, not on you. I'd rather you play here than somewhere I can't see."
"If anyone asks you for Robux, your password, or to talk somewhere else like Discord, tell me. You will not be in trouble."
"If someone says they'll tell on you or share something unless you do what they say, that's a trick. Come to me first."
"Some games are made by kids who don't think about who's playing. If a game feels creepy, leave it and tell me."

If anything involving pressure for images or money does happen, the steps are in our guide to apps, games and social media: block, keep the messages, report, and tell your child they are not in trouble.

Sources

Every step above comes from Roblox's own support and safety pages, read on November 12, 2026. The rating comes from ESRB. All are listed in the citations.

Safer alternatives

Link accounts before anything else — Every other setting is managed from the linked account. Without it you are working from the child's device or not at all.
Start at the lowest content maturity that fits — Move it up when your child asks and you have looked at what they want to play. Allowed games let you approve one game without raising the whole level.
Keep chat off until you have talked about it — Roblox says users who have not completed an age check cannot chat at all. You can leave chat off and turn it on for a specific child once the family rules are agreed.
Set a monthly spending limit even if you never expect to need it — The default is no limit. A limit from 0 up is a setting, not a punishment.

Common questions

Part of the Apps, Games & Social Media hub— the rest of our coverage in this category.