SYDNEY — Australia's internet regulator secured a court-enforceable undertaking from Roblox to improve protections against grooming and sexual exploitation, after tests found adult strangers could still contact children despite safety measures introduced by the world's biggest gaming platform.
The agreement marks an incremental win for the eSafety Commissioner as it seeks to use its enforcement powers to make online platforms comply with Australia's sweeping child-safety rules, including a landmark ban on social media for children under 16.
eSafety said on Thursday its testing found adults could send connection requests to young Australian children on Roblox without parental consent, while children and adults could interact on forums outside games without parental approval. Children's connections, profiles and other information were also visible to other users.