Roblox agrees to court-enforceable child safety measures in Australia

Roblox eSafety Commission child safety online regulation Australia

Roblox has entered into a court-enforceable undertaking with Australia’s eSafety Commission to improve child safety protections on its platform. The agreement follows investigations by the regulator, which found that the gaming platform failed to meet obligations under the Online Safety Act.

Testing conducted by eSafety revealed several vulnerabilities, including the ability for adults to send connection requests to children without parental consent and the visibility of children's profiles, biographies, and connection lists to all users. The regulator also identified issues with community forums where adults and children could interact without supervision.

Under the terms of the agreement, Roblox must implement specific changes within three months. These include making children's accounts private by default, restricting adult contact with unknown minors, and improving reporting mechanisms. Additionally, the company must hire an independent third-party auditor to monitor the effectiveness of these safety measures for a period of three years.

While Roblox maintains that it is meeting its legal obligations, the company has committed to these additional safeguards. The platform hosts an estimated 1.7 million children in Australia.

Entities

Anika Wells · Australia · Julie Inman Grant · Roblox · eSafety Commission · eSafety Commissioner

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] Roblox maintains that it is meeting its obligations under the Online Safety Act. losangelesweeklytimes.com · www.impulsegamer.com · www.theverge.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Roblox must implement the agreed-upon safety changes within a three-month timeframe. nationalcybersecurity.com · www.gadgetgear.nl · www.perthnow.com.au
[● 3 SOURCES] Roblox has committed to a court-enforceable undertaking to implement new safety measures. losangelesweeklytimes.com · www.impulsegamer.com · www.perthnow.com.au
[● 3 SOURCES] The eSafety Commission alleged that Roblox lacks sufficient measures to prevent contact between adults and children under 16. nationalcybersecurity.com · www.impulsegamer.com · www.theverge.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Children's profiles, biographies, and connection lists were visible to all users without an option to restrict visibility. losangelesweeklytimes.com · www.impulsegamer.com · www.theverge.com
[● 4 SOURCES] Testing showed adults could send connection requests to Australian children without parental consent. losangelesweeklytimes.com · www.gadgetgear.nl · www.impulsegamer.com · www.theverge.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Approximately 1.7 million children in Australia use the Roblox platform. nationalcybersecurity.com · www.perthnow.com.au
[● 2 SOURCES] Roblox is required to hire an independent third-party auditor to monitor its safety compliance. www.gadgetgear.nl · www.perthnow.com.au