Increasing concerns have been raised regarding the federal government’s need to tackle the dangers that children face on the widely-used gaming platform Roblox, following a report by Guardian Australia that highlighted a week of incidents involving virtual sexual harassment and violence.
While role-playing as an 8-year-old girl, the reporter encountered a sexualized avatar and faced cyberbullying, acts of violence, sexual assault, and inappropriate language, despite having parental control settings in place.
From December 10, platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Kick will be under Australia’s social media ban preventing Australians under 16 from holding social media accounts, yet Roblox will not be included.
Independent councillor Monique Ryan labeled this exclusion as “unexplainable.” She remarked, “Online gaming platforms like Roblox expose children to unlimited gambling, cloned social media apps, and explicit content.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated that platforms would be examined based on their “singular and essential purpose.”
“Kids engaging with Roblox currently utilize chat features and messaging for online gameplay,” she noted. “If online gameplay were to vanish, would kids still use the messaging feature? Likely not.”
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“If these platforms start introducing features that align them more with social media companies rather than online gaming ones, we will attempt to intervene.”
According to government regulations, services primarily allowing users to play online games with others are not classified as age-restricted social media platforms.
Nonetheless, some critics believe that this approach is too narrow for a platform that integrates gameplay with social connectivity. Nyusha Shafiabadi, an associate professor of information technology at Australian Catholic University, asserts that Roblox should also fall under the ban.
She highlighted that the platform enables players to create content and communicate with one another. “It functions like a restricted social media platform,” she observed.
Independent MP Nicolette Boere urged the government to rethink its stance. “If the government’s restrictions bar certain apps while leaving platforms like Roblox, which has been called a ‘pedophile hellscape’, unshielded, we will fail to safeguard children and drive them into more perilous and less regulated environments,” she remarked.
Communications minister spokesperson Annika Wells mentioned that excluding Roblox from the teen social media ban does not imply that it is free from accountability under the Online Safety Act.
A representative from eSafety stated, “We can extract crucial safety measures from Roblox that shield children from various harms, including online grooming and sexual coercion.”
eSafety declared that by the year’s end, Roblox will enhance its Age Verification Technology, which restricts adults from contacting children without explicit parental consent and sets accounts to private by default for users under 16.
“Children under 16 who enable chat through age estimation will no longer be permitted to chat with adults. Alongside current protections for those under 13, we will also introduce parental controls allowing parents to disable chat for users between 13 and 15,” the spokesperson elaborated.
Should entities like Roblox not comply with child safety regulations, authorities have enforcement capabilities, including fines of up to $49.5 million.
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eSafety stated it will “carefully oversee Roblox’s adherence to these commitments and assess regulatory measures in the case of future infractions.”
Joanna Orlando, an expert on digital wellbeing from Western Sydney University, pointed out that Roblox’s primary safety issues are grooming threats and the increasing monetization of children engaging with “the world’s largest game.”
She mentioned that it is misleading to view it solely as a video game. “It’s far more significant. There are extensive social layers, and a vast array of individuals on that platform,” she observed.
Green Party spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young criticized the government for “playing whack-a-mole” with the social media ban.
“We want major technology companies to assume responsibility for the safety of children, irrespective of age,” she emphasized.
“We need to strike at these companies where it truly impacts them. That’s part of their business model, and governments hesitate to act.”
Shadow communications minister Melissa Mackintosh also expressed her concerns about the platform. She stated that while Roblox has introduced enhanced safety measures, “parents must remain vigilant to guard their children online.”
“The eSafety Commissioner and the government carry the responsibility to do everything within their power to protect children from the escalating menace posed by online predators,” she said.
A representative from Roblox stated that the platform is “dedicated to pioneering safety through stringent policies that surpass those of other platforms.”
“We utilize AI to scrutinize games for violating content prior to publication, we prohibit users from sharing images or videos in chats, and we implement sophisticated text filters designed to prevent children from disclosing personal information,” they elaborated.
Source: www.theguardian.com
