Roblox is facing new pressure over the safety of its underage users, as an audit by the Australian regulator eSafety Commissioner revealed significant weaknesses in the platform's protection mechanisms. Despite changes the company has announced to limit children's exposure to adults and potential abusers, the authorities found that gaps still exist that could create risks.
Roblox is one of the most popular gaming platforms worldwide, with more than 380 million active users, a large percentage of whom are under the age of 16.The size and youthful nature of its community makes protecting minors particularly critical.
Four key security problems
The Australian eSafety Commissioner identified four significant issues during the inspections. The first concerns the ability of adult users to send connection requests to young children in Australia without prior consent from a parent or guardian.
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This feature is considered particularly problematic, as it can open a direct channel of communication between an unknown adult and a child. Even when no malicious behavior is involved, the ability to reach minors without parental supervision significantly increases the risk of social engineering or grooming.
A second issue involved forums outside the core gaming environment. According to the Australian authority, children and adults could view and reply to each other's posts without prior parental consent.
At the same time, a child's contacts could be visible to any user of the platform. The picture is complemented by another problem: details of children's profiles, such as the account name, contact numbers and names, avatar images and some information about interests, remained available to other users.
The problem was not only the visibility of these elements, but also the lack of sufficient choice for parents or children to limit who could see them.
New measures within three months
Following the findings, Roblox agreed to implement stricter security controls within three months. Among other things, the company must prevent adults from communicating with unknown children when there is no parental consent.
At the same time, child accounts are expected to have stronger privacy settings and be private by default. This is a change that could significantly limit the exposure of personal information to strangers
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More transparency in complaints
Of particular importance is the demand for more user-friendly reporting mechanisms. Users should not only be able to easily report suspicious or malicious behavior, but also be informed about the progress and outcome of their reports.
See also: Roblox under the microscope of American authorities
Roblox will also have to work with an independent body to assess the effectiveness of the new measures. The assessment will include the implementation of age rating systems, an issue that has become increasingly important on online platforms.
The challenge of protecting minors
The case highlights a broader problem for platforms aimed at children: safety depends not only on content filters, but also on who can identify, reach and communicate with a minor.
With hundreds of millions of users, Roblox is now being asked to prove in practice that the new protection mechanisms are working effectively. For parents, the incident is a reminder that privacy settings, account supervision and talking to children about online safety remain essential, even when a platform presents itself as a safe place for younger users.
