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Roblox has been referred to as to an pressing assembly with the federal authorities within the wake of studies that youngsters are being groomed by predators and uncovered to sexually express materials on the favored on-line gaming platform.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has written to Roblox, saying Australian mother and father have deep considerations over the platform’s security measures.
Roblox, which isn’t underneath the federal government’s under-16s social media ban, sought an exemption after it made commitments final yr to enhance its security measures, participating with the eSafety Commission on the adjustments.
“Despite this, the issues appear to persist,” Ms Wells’ letter to the platform reads.
“This is untenable, and these issues are of deep concern to many Australians parents and carers.
“I due to this fact search an pressing assembly with you to debate the steps Roblox is taking to enhance security outcomes and experiences on its platform.”
The eSafety Commission has additionally written to the platform, saying it’ll take a look at the implementation of security measures put in place final yr.
Ms Wells highlighted two reports in her letter to Roblox, which alleged the platform was being used by predators to groom children and expose them to “graphic and gratuitous user-generated content material”, together with sexually express and suicidal materials.
Ms Wells has asked the platform to explain what measures Roblox had put in place to protect users, especially children, from harm.
The authorities has additionally requested the Classification Board to evaluate whether or not the PG ranking for Roblox stays acceptable.
“The security of kids on-line is non-negotiable,” she mentioned in a press release.
“The studies we have been listening to about youngsters being uncovered to graphic content material on Roblox, and predators actively utilizing the platform to groom younger persons are horrendous. Something should be carried out — now.
“These sorts of harms show why we need a digital duty of care, which will place the onus on digital platforms to proactively keep their users, particularly children, safe.”
Last September, Roblox mentioned it had put in place 9 commitments following session with the eSafety Commissioner.
It mentioned the commitments have been to make sure the platform was compliant with the Online Safety Act.
Roblox’s measures embody:
By the tip of 2025, Roblox knowledgeable the regulator it had delivered on the commitments, together with requiring customers to be verified as 17 years or older to entry sure video games.
The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, mentioned she notified the platform final week that the regulator could be testing its compliance with commitments.
“We remain highly concerned by ongoing reports regarding the exploitation of children on the Roblox service, and exposure to harmful material,” Ms Inman Grant mentioned.
The eSafety Commission mentioned topic to the end result of the assessments, it’d take additional motion in opposition to Roblox underneath the Online Safety Act, which incorporates penalties of as much as $49.5 million.
New codes underneath the laws, which come into impact on March 9, deal with age-restricted materials similar to on-line pornography, high-impact violence and self-harm.
It additionally had necessities for on-line gaming providers to ban and take proportionate motion in opposition to non-consensual sharing of intimate photographs, the grooming of kids, and sexual extortion.
The eSafety Commissioner mentioned she would assess Roblox’s compliance underneath the brand new requirements.
TikTok is used to create, share and uncover brief movies, owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance.
Before the ban, the eSafety Commission mentioned there have been about 200,000 Australian customers aged 13 to fifteen, amongst a complete of virtually 10 million Australian accounts.
While TikTok has its personal minimal age of 13, the regulator has discovered it is without doubt one of the hottest platforms for customers aged between eight and 12 as effectively.
The platform’s Australia coverage lead, Ella Woods-Joyce, mentioned TikTok would adjust to the ban, however warned it may have unintended penalties.
“Experts believe a ban will push younger people into darker corners of the internet where protections don’t exist,” Ms Woods-Joyce mentioned.
Instagram was probably the most used app amongst Australian youngsters aged 13 to 17, with greater than one million month-to-month energetic customers on this age cohort, in line with the eSafety Commission.
The platform is owned by Meta, which additionally owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Messenger.
Instagram mentioned its “teen accounts” have been mechanically utilized to customers aged 13 to 17, which got here with built-in limits on who can contact them and filters on “sensitive content”.
Users on this age cohort additionally acquired notifications prompting them to depart the app after 60 minutes of use in someday.
Despite these measures, Instagram is underneath Australia’s social media ban for under-16s.
Snapchat was additionally among the many hottest apps for younger individuals, with greater than one million of its 8.3 million Australian customers aged 17 or underneath.
Snapchat is a messaging app that enables customers to ship photographs, movies and texts which are solely accessible for a brief interval as soon as they’re opened.
Users can even select to share their location with pals on Snap Map.
Snapchat sought to permit underage customers to obtain and archive their information earlier than their accounts have been disabled.
YouTube has been one of the well-liked on-line platforms for younger Australians, with greater than 643,000 customers aged 17 and underneath.
The regulator discovered it was the top platform for users aged between eight and 12, with greater than two-thirds of these surveyed selecting it as their platform of alternative.
The Australian authorities was planning to exempt YouTube from its social media ban, however later backflipped on this resolution.
Rachel Lord from YouTube Australia and New Zealand says there’s substantial proof that YouTube is extensively utilized in lecture rooms and supported by mother and father.
“YouTube is not a social media platform; it is a video streaming platform with a library of free, high-quality content, and TV screens are increasingly the most popular place to watch,” she mentioned.
YouTube Kids, a filtered model of the platform that enables mother and father to create accounts for kids underneath 12, continues to be allowed.
While Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube dominated for younger social media customers, Facebook nonetheless had an estimated 455,000 Australian customers aged between 13 and 17.
The platform is owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and already has a minimal age of 13.
Meta coverage director Mia Garlick just lately advised a Senate listening to that the corporate would adjust to the ban however was nonetheless fixing “numerous challenges” to determine youngsters’ accounts.
Facebook’s personal messaging service Messenger continues to be allowed.
Streaming platform Twitch was added to the record of banned apps after the eSafety Commission discovered it has the only or important objective of on-line social interplay.
“Twitch is a platform most commonly used for live streaming or posting content that enables users, including Australian children, to interact with others in relation to the content posted,” a press release posted to the eSafety web site mentioned.
Twitch is especially utilized by gaming and eSport gamers to broadcast their gameplay with audio commentary, nevertheless it’s additionally used to share and broadcast music, dwell sports activities, and meals packages, in line with the regulator.
Formerly often known as Twitter and owned by billionaire Elon Musk, X falls underneath the record of banned platforms for under-16s.
While it wasn’t among the many hottest apps for younger customers, the eSafety Commission has considerations concerning the prevalence of “online hate” on the platform.
In June 2023, the regulator mentioned it had acquired extra complaints about on-line hate on X prior to now 12 months than every other platform, saying X had “dropped the ball on tackling hate”.
Messaging board Reddit, the seventh-most visited website on the planet, is on the record of age-restricted platforms.
The platform bans mature content material till a person declares they’re 18 or over; nevertheless, there was no age verification system in place, in line with the eSafety Commission.
The platform has mentioned it could adjust to the ban, however disagreed with the “scope, effectiveness and privacy implications” of the legislation.
Along with Reddit, Kick was a late addition to the federal government’s record of age-restricted platforms.
Kick is an Australian competitor to the video dwell streaming platform Twitch, the place customers can watch dwell video streams masking video games, music and playing.
The eSafety Commission just lately urged Twitch, together with gaming website Roblox, may additionally quickly fall underneath the ban.
Threads is a microblogging platform just like X, which requires customers to have an Instagram account for entry.
As Instagram is banned for underneath 16s, Threads additionally falls underneath the record of banned platforms.
The eSafety Commissioner has put collectively a safety guide.
It covers online safety issues, together with parental controls, baby grooming, and defending youngsters from sexual abuse on-line.
The regulator recommends mother and father and carers ought to be:
The regulator additionally has pointers on easy methods to discuss on-line baby sexual abuse with youngsters under 12 and youngsters aged between 13 and 18.
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This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-10/commonwealth-roblox-reports-of-child-grooming/106323242
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you'll…
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