Australia’s online safety regulator has secured a legally enforceable undertaking from Roblox to strengthen protections for children after testing found that adults could still contact young users without parental consent.
The Australian eSafety Commissioner said its testing earlier this year identified gaps in Roblox’s safety systems, including allowing adults to send connection requests to children under 16 without the consent of a parent or carer. Children and adults could also view and respond to each other’s posts on forums outside gaming environments.
The regulator also found that children’s connections, profiles and biographical information, including account names, connections and avatar images, could be visible to other users on the platform.
The findings have renewed concerns over the potential for online grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse, prompting Roblox to commit to additional safeguards under the court-enforceable undertaking.
Under the new requirements, Roblox must introduce measures to prevent adults from contacting unknown children under 16 without parental or carer consent and ensure children’s accounts are private by default.
The company must also improve its reporting systems so users can easily report harmful content and receive notification of the outcome of their complaints. An independent third-party auditor will assess the effectiveness of Roblox’s safety measures, including its age-estimation technology.
Roblox has three months to implement the measures. If it fails to meet the commitments, the eSafety Commissioner may apply to the Federal Court for orders requiring the company to comply.
The action comes after prolonged engagement between the regulator and Roblox over child safety concerns. In September 2025, Roblox had already committed to making accounts belonging to users under 16 private by default and introducing measures to prevent adults from contacting children without parental consent.
However, eSafety said subsequent testing showed that gaps remained despite the measures Roblox had introduced.
The regulator said Roblox is the second-most popular game among children in Australia, with national research estimating that about 1.7 million Australian children use the platform.
The developments also highlight the need for parents and carers to remain actively involved in children’s online activities. eSafety advises families to use parental controls while also helping children develop safe online habits, noting that no parental control tool is completely effective.
The latest measures are expected to provide greater protection for young users, although their effectiveness will become clearer after Roblox completes the required changes and the independent assessment of its safety systems.
