Introducing Experiences for People 17 and Older
Our goal has always been to build an immersive platform for communication and connection with safety and civility at its foundation. Roblox is a platform for all ages where no matter how old people are, they can connect with friends and discover a wide range of relevant, engaging, and age-appropriate experiences.
The fastest-growing age group on Roblox is 17-to-24-year-olds and in 2022, 38% of our daily active users were 17 and over. As a natural evolution, we’re now allowing creators to make content specifically for this audience. Only those who have verified that they’re at least 17 will be able to create or consume these experiences.
Earlier this year, we launched our Experience Guidelines, which are grounded in child development research and industry standards and help people determine if an experience is suitable for them. Until now, we have allowed experiences for the following age groups — All Ages, 9 and older, and 13 and older. Today, we’re expanding our guidelines to include Ages 17 and older.
Age Appropriate Access
We want Roblox to simulate and even go beyond what’s possible in the real world. For example, when a family attends a sporting event, there’s something at the stadium for everyone to do. But some of these areas may be off-limits for young people. As they get older, though, they’ll be able to access those areas, and we want to replicate that dynamic on Roblox.
Now, creators will be able to offer experiences for those 17 and older that feature more mature themes and storylines like in TV shows or stand-up comedy. These experiences may contain more violence, blood, or crude humor. You can read more about what’s permitted here.
Safety
Experiences for people who are 17 and older need to meet our standards for safety and civility. We wouldn’t do it any other way. This requires comprehensive safety and moderation tools, including:
Age Verification
As noted above, you can only create or consume these experiences if you're verified as 17 or older. This requires uploading a selfie and a photo of your government-issued ID, an age verification method that goes beyond what many other platforms currently use. With this approach, we’re providing greater confidence in people’s age and identity. In the future, we may add new age verification methods.
Parental Controls and Guidance
People have numerous ways to choose which content is suitable for their family. For example, our Parental Controls provide the ability to restrict children’s access to certain experiences. And we’re updating our Parent & Caregiver Guide to Roblox to provide safety tips for families.
Moderation and Community Standards
Everyone on Roblox is required to adhere to our Community Standards and policies, and we’re updating them to account for content appropriate for people 17 and over. In addition, people can report and block individuals and experiences that go against our policies.
Empowering Creators’ Expression and Monetization
Most Roblox creators are 17 or over, and we want to support them in expressing themselves by allowing them to build experiences that resonate with them.
Now they have a way to tap into our fastest-growing audience. We hope to inspire them to build aged-up experiences by highlighting them in our recommendation tools solely to people who are at least 17. That means creators will have new opportunities for increased engagement and potential earnings.
What’s Next
Starting today, eligible creators can begin making experiences for people 17 and over. We want those experiences to be safe and civil, high-quality, engaging, and to fully leverage the potential of aged-up content. In the coming weeks, eligible users will begin to see these new experiences. As always, as we innovate, we’re keeping safety top of mind. We can’t wait to see what our community builds.