The safety and well being of young children who play games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft has been an increasingly prominent topic among governments around the world. Now, the United Kingdom’s online safety minister Kanishka Narayan has suggested a potentially drastic solution that would prevent children from speaking with any strangers on their chosen gaming platform.
While speaking with The Times, Narayan suggested that a blanket ban of allowing children to engage with strangers in online games could be a part of a teenage social media ban that is currently under consideration. Narayan didn’t call out any games in particular, but he noted that gaming platform activity “will weigh quite significantly in my mind as we think about how we stop some of the most egregious harms for young people.”
The United Kingdom hasn’t formally decided to go forward with any ban at this time. The Times notes that the government may be examining Australia’s social media ban for children under 16, which became law last year. Australia didn’t place any restrictions on games under those guidelines, but it did place a ban on Twitch.
Out of the major gaming platforms targeted towards children, Roblox has perhaps come under the heaviest from international lawmakers. Australia put the platform on notice over reports of grooming and sexual content. Florida’s Attorney General accused Roblox of being a breading ground for predators, while the Attorney General of Texas sued The Roblox Corporation over child-exploitation accusations.
In response to the growing outrage, The Roblox Corporation has pledged to try harder to keep kids from interacting with strangers. The developer has also agreed to spend $12 million to create a safer environment for children online.