Roblox faces scrutiny

Australia’s online safety regulator has ordered Roblox and Minecraft to explain how they protect children from grooming and radicalisation. (esafety.gov.au) The notices, issued April 22 by the eSafety Commissioner, also went to Epic Games’ Fortnite and Valve’s Steam and are legally enforceable under Australia’s Online Safety Act. Companies were asked for details on safety systems, staffing and how they detect and respond to harms involving children. (esafety.gov.au) Reuters reported the regulator is examining whether game platforms are being used by sexual predators to groom children and by extremist groups to spread violent propaganda to young users. The companies face penalties and possible civil action if they do not comply with the transparency notices. (reuters.com) Roblox is under pressure in the United States at the same time. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a $12.2 million settlement on April 21, two days after West Virginia announced an $11 million settlement, and Nevada disclosed a separate deal last week worth more than $12 million. (alabamaag.gov) (ago.wv.gov) (apnews.com) Those three state actions add up to about $35.8 million. Claims Journal reported the settlements require Roblox to curb risky contact on the platform, with some of the money earmarked for child-safety education. (claimsjournal.com) The state complaints and settlements focus on a basic problem: Roblox is both a game platform and a social network, so children can move from playing into messaging, voice chat and friend requests inside the same app. West Virginia said its agreement requires mandatory age verification, restricted adult-to-child chat and safer default settings for users under 16. (ago.wv.gov) Roblox has already started changing the product. The company said last week it will roll out age-based accounts in early June, automatically placing ages 5 to 8 into “Roblox Kids” accounts and ages 9 to 15 into “Roblox Select” accounts, with tighter content access and expanded parental controls. (about.roblox.com) Roblox said the new setup combines age checks, account defaults, content ratings, ongoing moderation and parental controls in one system for younger users. The company said age-checked users under 16 will still be able to access “the vast majority” of their favorite games at launch. (about.roblox.com) The stakes are unusually high because Roblox’s audience is unusually young. Roblox has said its monthly player base includes about half of all American children under 16, and third-party estimates based on company disclosures put daily active users at 144 million in late 2025, with 56% under 16. (wikipedia.org) (backlinko.com) Australia’s move widens the test beyond Roblox alone. The regulator’s notices to Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and Steam suggest officials are treating child safety in games as an industry-wide compliance issue, not a problem one company can solve with a single product update. (esafety.gov.au)