Australia says Roblox hasn’t fixed its child predator problem
Australia's online safety regulator, eSafety, says Roblox has failed to fix problems that expose children to adult strangers, despite the platform already introducing some safety measures. The regulator had been investigating whether Roblox complied with Australia's Online Safety Act, particularly rules requiring adequate safeguards against contact between adults and children under 16, and its 2026 testing found the platform still "put children at risk."
eSafety's testing found adults could send connection requests to young children without parental consent, that children's and adults' posts on forums outside games were visible to each other without consent, and that children's connections, profiles and biographical details, including names and avatar images, were publicly visible with no way to restrict them. Roblox maintains it meets its legal obligations, but says it will roll out further measures including making children's accounts private by default, blocking adults from contacting unknown children without parental consent, improved complaint reporting, and an independent audit of its safety systems, including age-estimation tools. The company is separately facing a US Senate subcommittee investigation and multiple state lawsuits over child safety in America.
- Australia's eSafety says Roblox still fails to protect children from adult strangers.
- Testing found children's profiles, connections and posts were publicly visible.
- Roblox plans stricter default privacy settings and an independent safety audit.
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Roblox is an online platform where people can play games and create their own, often using cartoon-style avatars. Children can interact with other users through messages, friend requests and forums, so the platform’s privacy and contact settings affect who can reach them and see information about them.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is the government regulator responsible for online safety. The country’s Online Safety Act requires platforms to take steps to protect children under 16 from unwanted contact with adults. Roblox says it complies with the law and has announced plans for further safety measures, while eSafety has been assessing whether its safeguards are adequate.
The issue matters because children use Roblox at scale, and public profiles or contact features can expose them to strangers. The case also raises questions about how regulators judge whether online platforms are doing enough to protect young users.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
eSafety's testing documented specific vulnerabilities that currently enable predatory contact—adults reaching unknown children, personal information publicly visible without controls, and parental consent being bypassed. These represent immediate risks to children happening now. Whilst Roblox's promised future measures are welcome, they cannot substitute for adequate safeguards in place today; children deserve protection immediately, and the company's substantial resources suggest current gaps reflect priority choices rather than capability limitations.
The case against
Roblox has engaged constructively with regulators and is implementing comprehensive measures including private-by-default accounts, blocking adult-to-child contact, improved reporting, and independent audits. Rather than dismissing these substantive commitments, reasonable evaluation should acknowledge the company's meaningful engagement with legitimate safety concerns; all platforms face inherent tensions between connectivity and safety, and demonstrated progress toward greater protection reflects serious intent to improve user security.