How do you know if your Roblox account is under 13? An in-depth guide for parents and players.

Hey friend! As an avid Roblox gamer and parent myself, I know it can be tricky to figure out if your child‘s account has the under 13 restrictions enabled.

In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through all the methods I use to check account age, what the under 13 limitations are, and some expert tips to keep your kid safe on Roblox.

Let‘s dive in!

Why it matters if your Roblox account is under 13

As a quick overview for parents new to Roblox – it‘s an online gaming platform where kids can create avatars, design their own mini-games, and interact in 3D virtual worlds.

With over 200 million monthly users, it‘s hugely popular among the under 13 crowd.

To comply with the Children‘s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Roblox puts additional safeguards in place to protect younger users under age 13:

• Limited communication features to reduce exposure to strangers
• Disabled voice chat and sharing of personal information
• Restricted behavioral advertising and data collection
• Provided parental controls like purchase PINs

However, these limitations also prevent under 13 users from accessing certain features reserved for older players.

So checking your child‘s account age is important to understand their available features, safety protections, and restrictions in place.

Now let‘s look at some ways to confirm if an account has the under 13 status enabled or not.

Check #1: View the profile birthday

The quickest way to check age is by looking at the birthday shown on your child‘s Roblox profile page:

1. Have them login to Roblox and visit their profile.

2. Scroll down to the "Statistics" section near the bottom.

3. Look for the Join Date – this shows the birth date associated with the account.

4. If the date indicates they are under 13 years old, then the account is restricted.

For example, if your child‘s profile shows:

Join Date: January 1, 2015

This means the account birthday is set as January 1, 2015. So over 8 years later in 2024, this user would still be under 13.

Checking the Join Date only takes a moment, so it‘s a handy first method to understand if COPPA restrictions apply to an account.

Check #2: Trying restricted features unique to under 13 accounts

Another way is trying out features that are limited or disabled for under 13 Roblox users:

• Limited chat ability: Try chatting with random players that aren‘t friends – under 13 accounts can only chat with approved friends.

• No sharing personal info: Go to Account > Privacy and see if fields like email, phone number, social media and addresses can be added. Under 13 users can‘t include this personal data.

• No voice chat: Under Account > Privacy, voice chat should be disabled/grayed out for under 13 accounts.

• Can‘t enable age verification: The option to verify age will be missing under Account > Security for users under 13.

If your child‘s account has the above restrictions, it means the under 13 status is likely switched on.

Giving these a test only takes a few minutes and can confirm if COPPA limitations are active or not.

Check #3: Review parental control settings

Since parental controls are intended for underage users, checking what restrictions are enabled can also indicate age status:

• Is a Purchase PIN set to approve purchases?

• Are there Chat permission settings like limiting to friends only?

• Are there Account restrictions like only allowing access to vetted games?

• Is Trade system access disabled to prevent unapproved trading?

If comprehensive parental controls like these are in place, it‘s a strong sign you‘ve set up the account as under 13.

You can review all available parental tools under Settings > Parental Controls to get a sense of the age limits applied.

Check #4: Contact Roblox Support

As the account administrator, you can always reach out to Roblox Support for confirmation on whether your child‘s account is under 13 or not.

When contacting them, have your child‘s Roblox username ready along with any account email or phone number used during sign up.

Here‘s a sample message you can use:

Subject: Confirming child‘s account age

Hello,

Can you please confirm if the Roblox account "RobloxUsername" is restricted as under 13 years old? This will help me understand parental controls needed for my child‘s account.

Thank you,
YourName

While they typically keep privacy in mind, providing account details helps Support verify you are the parent/guardian and assist accordingly.

What changes when a Roblox account turns 13?

An important thing to note is Roblox will automatically lift under 13 restrictions on the child‘s 13th birthday:

• Can chat with all users, not just friends
• Voice chat, sharing personal info enabled
• Age verification unlocks
• Parental controls like PIN disabled
• Targeted ads/data collection allowed

So if your kid‘s account is limited now, you can expect increased functionality and responsibility at age 13. Make sure to discuss safe online habits before this milestone.

Some key things to consider:

• Monitor activity: Check who they are chatting with, joining, what they share
• Vet games: Scan the 13+ game library and block unmoderated/inappropriate worlds
• Limit personal info: Advise not to share full name, location, school, pics
• Disable voice: Voice chat has risks like inappropriate language or revealing age/identity
• Discuss safety: Communicate regularly about being safe, avoiding strangers, not believing claims or "deals"

Work together to ensure your teen makes the most of Roblox features safely.

Can I change my child‘s age to show 13+ if they are under 13?

Some parents are tempted to change their younger child‘s birth date to indicate an older age of 13+ years. This disables all the COPPA protections Roblox has in place.

I strongly advise against doing this.

Bypassing age restrictions subjects your under 13 child to several risks:

• Chat with strangers who may be deceptive adults
• Exposure to inappropriate content more common in 13+ games
• Personal data collection by Roblox/developers
• Targeted advertising without parental consent
• Social engineering by users asking for personal information
• Encounters with bullies, predators, and scams
• Voice chat with unknown older users

It also violates Roblox terms of service and COPPA regulations – accounts registered with false information can be moderated or deleted.

Instead, make use of under 13 parental controls like:

• Purchase PINs to control spending
• Limiting chat to friends only
• Restricting access to age-appropriate games
• Disabling voice chat and trading items
• Getting alerts for suspicious messages or new friends

These tools allow your child to enjoy Roblox safely while limiting risks. Maintaining an accurate age is key to keeping COPPA protection active.

What about child accounts signed up without parental consent?

Some kids sign up on their own using a fake birth date, so parents aren‘t aware the account is for an underage user.

If you discover your child is on Roblox without your permission or knowledge, take these steps:

• Confirm their actual age based on their profile birthday
• Assume the account is completely unrestricted if registered as 13+
• Utilize parental controls immediately to restrict activities
• Closely monitor who they interact with and block suspicious users
• Limit access to age-appropriate games, not all experiences
• Regularly check messages, inventory, and transaction logs
• Establish new rules about informing you before using Roblox

Essentially treat it as a brand new under 13 account and implement parental guidance. Have an open talk about online safety guidelines as well.

While Roblox aims to provide a safe environment, deceiving age during sign up leaves your child unprotected. So it‘s vital parents take an active role despite the incorrect registration.

How Roblox verifies age 13 and up

When a Roblox user actually turns 13, the option unlocks for them to permanently verify their age online and access 13+ features.

Here is the age verification process on Roblox:

1. Under Account > Security, select Verify Your Age

2. Upload a clear photo of your official government ID

   • Driver‘s license
   • Passport
   • National ID card
   • etc

3. Also take a front-facing selfie for facial recognition

4. Roblox reviews the ID image and selfie to confirm identity

5. If approved, 13+ chat, voice, profile features are enabled

Some tips for smooth age verification:

• Use a well-lit room, avoid shadows on your face
• Take the selfie from chest up, framed by ID photo
• Double check name, birthday, ID number is clearly visible
• Make sure your appearance matches the ID photo
• An unsmiling neutral expression works best

Once successfully verified, the 13+ status sticks permanently on your child‘s account.

However, if verification fails, you have to wait 7 days before trying again. So make sure to capture high quality images the first time!

My thoughts as a tech expert and fellow Roblox parent

As a data security engineer and dad to an avid 9 year old Roblox fan, I‘ve picked up some key insights when it comes to under 13 safety.

Here are my top expert tips for parents managing underage Roblox accounts:

• Use a parent email – Register under your email so you control account access
• Know account credentials – Have username and password handy in case you need to log in
• Toggle chat off – Restrict chat to "No-one" to limit stranger communication
• Set a spending PIN – Require a Purchase PIN to prevent unauthorized buys
• Review transaction logs – Check the purchase history to spot any suspicious activity
• Friend vetting – Screen friends and followers to block concerning users
• Limit playtime – Use your parental controls or device limits to cap daily gaming sessions
• Account protection – Ensure your child doesn‘t share password or account access
• Game supervision – Scout out worlds before your child visits and block concerning ones

And if your kid begs for Robux, gift cards are safer than storing payment info. As they get older, teach importance of not sharing personal/account details online.

It may seem daunting at first, but taking an active role in managing your kid‘s access allows them to safely enjoy the creative play Roblox offers!

The bottom line

Determining your child‘s Roblox account age helps you assess restrictions in place and safety steps needed. While Roblox tries to foster a family-friendly community, under 13 limitations provide an added layer of protection.

I hope these detailed tips on checking account status, recognizing red flags, using parental tools, and verifying age provide clarity for keeping your kid‘s Roblox experience safe.

Monitoring activities, establishing rules, and open communication are still vital – no platform is foolproof. But an informed and engaged parent can help prevent issues and allow proper enjoyment of Roblox creators and gameplay.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to share insights from my technical expertise and own parenting journey.