eSafety secures court-enforceable undertaking from Roblox over child safety

The eSafety Commissioner has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Roblox after regulatory testing found adults could contact children on the gaming service without parental consent.

The regulator raised concerns that Roblox was not meeting obligations under the Online Safety Act's Relevant Electronic Services Standard. The standard requires platforms to restrict contact between adults and children under 16, set children's accounts to private by default, and operate reporting systems that notify users of complaint outcomes.

Testing conducted by eSafety earlier this year found adults could send connection requests to young Australian users without parental or carer approval. Children's profiles, bios, avatar images, interests and connection lists were visible to anyone on the platform without an option to restrict them, and adults and children could interact on forums outside gaming environments.

Roblox has three months to implement the agreed fixes. The company must stop adults contacting unknown children without parental consent, make children's accounts private by default, improve complaint notification systems, and appoint an independent third-party auditor to evaluate its safety and age-estimation measures.

If Roblox breaches the undertaking, eSafety can apply to the Federal Court for compliance orders.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said national research estimates 1.7 million Australian children use Roblox, making it the second most popular game among children nationally.

Ms Inman Grant said the agreement marks the first time third-party auditing has been required under the Online Safety Act.

Roblox stated it believes it is meeting its legal obligations under the Act, despite committing to the enforceable measures.