Roblox will be required to undergo independent safety audits in Australia to prove that its protections for children are working effectively. The eSafety Commissioner has secured a court-enforceable undertaking from the gaming platform after testing found that adult strangers could still contact young users without parental consent.
Australia is increasing pressure on major online platforms to do more to protect children from grooming, exploitation and unsafe contact.
The latest focus is Roblox, one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms among children and teenagers.
The eSafety Commissioner has given the company three months to address several child-safety concerns.
Adults could still contact children
According to eSafety, testing found that adults could send connection requests to young Australian users without parental approval.
Children and adults could also interact in forums outside games, while children’s profiles, connections and other information remained visible to other users.
The regulator has ordered Roblox to introduce stronger protections.
These include:
- preventing adults from contacting unknown children without parental consent;
- making children’s accounts private by default;
- improving complaint and reporting systems;
- notifying users more clearly about the outcome of complaints;
- strengthening the protection of children’s personal information.
Independent audit for the first time
A key part of the agreement is the requirement for Roblox to appoint an independent third-party auditor.
The auditor will assess whether the company’s safety systems are actually effective, including its technology for estimating users’ ages.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Roblox could not simply assess its own performance.
It is the first time eSafety has required a technology company to undergo an external safety audit of this kind.
Federal Court action possible
The undertaking is legally enforceable.
If Roblox fails to meet its commitments, eSafety can apply to the Federal Court for orders requiring the company to comply and potentially seek further legal remedies.
The move represents another example of Australia using stronger regulatory powers against online platforms.
Roblox says it is cooperating
A Roblox spokesperson said the company had met the commitments it made to eSafety over the past 12 months and would continue working towards the shared goal of keeping Australian children safe online.
The platform had already come under scrutiny earlier this year, when eSafety said it had put Roblox “on notice” over child safety.
Roblox had also previously announced a number of commitments aimed at improving protections for young users.
Australia tightens online child safety rules
The action against Roblox forms part of a broader Australian push to strengthen digital safety protections for children.
Canberra has already introduced major reforms targeting social media access for users under 16 and is increasingly requiring technology companies to demonstrate that their safeguards work in practice.
For Roblox, that means the issue is no longer just about promises or internal policies.
The platform will now have to prove, through independent scrutiny, that it can keep young Australian users safe.