Sydney (AFP) - Australia's Communications Minister announced on Tuesday that she had written to video game giant Roblox to urgently discuss reports of child exploitation on the platform.

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 13:09

About 100 million people use Roblox daily, and about 40% are under 13 years old, according to company data from 2024.

But it has been accused of not doing enough to protect children from violent and sexual content.

A 2024 report by Hindenburg Research called it an "explicit content pedophile hellhole" that exposes children to sexual harassment and pornography.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Tuesday she had written to Roblox bosses urging them to explain in a meeting the steps they will take to keep children safe online.

"I think many of you, like me, were probably outraged by the fact that children as young as four or five are watching graphic and gratuitous violence on this platform," Wells told Australian public television, ABC.

The minister indicated that she had asked the Australian internet regulator, the Electronic Safety Commissioner (eSafety, in English), to explore "urgent measures" against the company.

Roblox said last year that it would adopt mandatory facial recognition or identity checks for players who want to access the chat feature.

The California-based company told AFP in a statement that it welcomes "the opportunity to brief the minister on the steps we have taken to keep our community safe."

A spokesperson insisted the firm had "robust security policies and processes to help protect users that go beyond those of other platforms."

Roblox is one of several platforms, such as Discord, WhatsApp and Lego Play, excluded from the ban on children under 16 accessing social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, which came into effect on December 10.

But it has been banned in Qatar, Iraq, Turkey and other countries over child safety concerns, while Texas and Louisiana in the United States sued the app for the same reason.

© 2026 AFP

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