Australia Finds Roblox Still Failing to Protect Children Despite Safety Pledges
Australia's eSafety regulator has issued a stark finding against Roblox, concluding that the platform continues to put children at risk despite implementing new safety measures in recent years.
The regulator tested Roblox as part of its oversight under Australia's Online Safety Act—the first platform to undergo independent audits under this framework. eSafety's testing found that Roblox allegedly failed to have sufficient measures in place to prevent contact between adults and children under 16.
Specifically, eSafety's investigation revealed that adults could still send connection requests to children on the platform, allowing unwanted contact between minors and adult strangers. While Roblox has previously pledged improvements to its child safety features, the regulator determined that the implemented safeguards remained inadequate.
Following the findings, Roblox has committed to making additional changes to its safety systems. The company had already introduced some new measures intended to better protect younger users, but eSafety's testing demonstrated that these fell short of requirements under Australian law.
The case represents a significant test of Australia's Online Safety Act, which empowers the regulator to hold platforms accountable for protecting children on their services. The findings underscore ongoing challenges that large social and gaming platforms face in balancing open interaction with child safety obligations.