Australia Says Roblox Still Fails Child Safety Rules

Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, said Roblox has not fully addressed child safety concerns under the country’s Online Safety Act, according to a report from The Verge.

eSafety had been examining whether Roblox failed to prevent contact between adults and children under 16. The regulator’s testing this year found the platform “continued to put children at risk,” including allowing contact between children and adult strangers, per The Verge.

The Verge reported that eSafety’s findings showed adults could send connection requests to Australian children without parental consent, children and adults could interact on forums outside game environments without oversight, and children’s connections, profiles and biographical details were visible to anyone on the platform with no option to restrict visibility.

Roblox maintains it meets its obligations under the Online Safety Act, according to eSafety, but the company has agreed to add further safety measures. These include preventing adults from contacting unknown children without parental consent, making children’s accounts private by default, improving reporting mechanisms that notify users of complaint outcomes, and hiring an independent third-party auditor to evaluate its safety measures, including age-estimation tools, The Verge reported.

Nicky Jackson Colaço, Roblox’s global head of public policy, said in a statement cited by The Verge that the commitment follows “constructive dialogue” with eSafety and reflects the company’s broader work with regulators worldwide. She pointed to Roblox’s recent rollout of Roblox Kids and Select accounts for users under 16 as part of that effort.

The Verge noted that Roblox also faces scrutiny in the United States, where it is under investigation by a Senate subcommittee and has been sued by multiple states over alleged child safety issues, though some state lawsuits have been settled.

Based on reporting by www.theverge.com.