Roblox reforms over ‘playground for pedophiles’ concern
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson |
One of the world’s biggest gaming platforms will ask users to verify their age after Australia’s online safety watchdog threatened multimillion dollar fines over concerns it was “becoming a playground for pedophiles”.
Roblox announced plans to launch age-estimation technology on Tuesday, with checks initially available as a voluntary measure before they become mandatory for Australians in December.
The US firm said the changes would limit inappropriate conversations between children and adults on the platform.
But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told ABC Radio the restrictions were only being introduced after its negotiations with Roblox, in which they were threatened with fines for failing to prevent harm.
“We’d been watching Roblox for a long time and had been concerned about some of their safety features and it becoming a playground for pedophiles,” she said.
“We reached out to them around a formal warning and then it turned into a negotiation which they have to comply with by the end of December.”
Under industry codes and standards, platforms can be fined up to $49.5 million for failing to protect users from seriously harmful material.
All Roblox users will be asked to submit to age-estimation technology under its changes, with checks provided by US firm Persona.
The software will scan users’ faces and use artificial intelligence technology to guess their age before assigning their account to one of six age categories.
Users will only be allowed to chat on the platform with their group and adjacent age groups to reduce the risk of inappropriate conversations, Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman said.
The technology had proven accurate to within one or two years and users could correct results by sharing government-issued identification, he said.
“We decided that simply going with age-estimation was the path of least friction and the path that provided the best outcome and that minimised the collection of personal information,” Mr Kaufman said.
Earlier in 2025, politicians called for Roblox to fall under Australia’s social media age ban, but Ms Inman Grant confirmed it would be exempt, as well as services such as Discord and Steam.
Despite its chat feature, Roblox was not a social media platform, Mr Kaufman said, but he hoped its changes would lift online standards.
Roblox age restrictions will be required for users in Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands in December before a global expansion in January 2026.
The reforms come as the firm faces more than 35 lawsuits in the US, including allegations it allowed child sexual exploitation on its platform.
Parents would likely welcome Roblox’s age restrictions, Swinburne University media senior lecturer Belinda Barnet said.
“It’s a great idea for them because obviously the part where people get into trouble, and clearly Roblox gets into trouble legally, is the chat function,” she said.
Nine platforms will fall under Australia’s Online Safety Amendment Act, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, on December 10.
AAP
