Australia’s communications minister Anika Wells is the latest of a number of global lawmakers to express concerns about child safety on Roblox, the massively popular gaming platform aimed largely at young people. Wells has requested a meeting with Roblox, after being alarmed by reports of graphic content and child predation on the platform.
The minister has written a letter to Roblox expressing concern, The Guardian reports, after she was “alarmed by reports of children being exposed to graphic and gratuitous user-generated content on the platform, including sexually explicit and suicidal material.” She adds that she is even more disturbed by “ongoing reports and concerns about children being approached and groomed by predators, who actively seek to exploit their curiosity and innocence.”
Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant mirrored these concerns in a separate letter, saying eSafety plans to test Roblox’s promises to keep children safe online. “We remain highly concerned by ongoing reports regarding the exploitation of children on the Roblox service, and exposure to harmful material,” Inman Grant said.
Guardian Australia reports that Roblox has not yet responded to the letter, but has released a statement saying it is working with Australian law enforcement to keep users safe. “We look forward to the opportunity to inform the minister of the steps we take to help keep our community safe,” the statement said. “Roblox has robust safety policies and processes to help protect users that go beyond many other platforms, and advanced safeguards that monitor for harmful content and communications. While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends, and we continue to strengthen protections to help keep users safe.”
Australia recently implemented a social media ban that prevents under-16s from having an account on services including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and more. While the ban targets a number of social platforms, gaming-focused platforms including Roblox and Discord are not impacted by the ban as yet–though some have called for them to be added to the ban list.
Following a 2024 Bloomberg investigation that uncovered rampant pedophilia on Roblox, the platform has faced scrutiny from lawmakers around the world. The gaming platform has faced lawsuits from states including California, Florida, and Texas over child safety, and has been completely banned in Turkey over child exploitation concerns.
Amid the increasing levels of scrutiny, Roblox recently implemented AI-powered age verification for users, introducing a system that only allows players to chat with others within their age group. The rollout has been rocky so far, with users complaining of inaccuracies in age estimations, and minor-verified accounts popping up for sale online.
