Australia gives Roblox 3 months to strengthen child safety amid grooming concerns

Australia has moved to strengthen Roblox child safety procedures after the country’s online safety regulator discovered gaps that could permit strangers to contact kids and view parts of their profiles without parental consent.

Now Roblox has three months to strengthen its safeguards for Australian users. The company must restrict adult-to-child contact, make children’s accounts private by default, improve reporting outcomes, and submit its safety controls to an external audit, including age-estimation technologies.

If Roblox breaches the agreement, eSafety can ask the Federal Court to order compliance. Roblox says it believes it complies with Australia’s Online Safety Act, but it has agreed to the additional measures.

Key takeaways

• Australia’s eSafety Commissioner accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Roblox on August 20, 2026.
• eSafety testing found that adults could send connection requests to young children and that children’s profile details and connections could remain broadly visible.
• Roblox has three months to implement new controls and undergo an independent assessment of their effectiveness.
• The undertaking does not mean every risk disappears. Parents should still review privacy, communication and spending settings with their child.

What did Australia find on Roblox?

eSafety said testing earlier this year found safety issues that could have exposed kids to risks. The regulator said adult users could send connection requests to children without parental or carer consent.

They also discovered that children and adults could view and respond to each other’s posts in forums outside game environments without parental or carer consent. Children’s connections, account names, avatars, biographies and other information could also be visible across the platform, with no option to limit the visibility of that information.

Roblox is especially important to Australian regulators because of its reach. eSafety cited research estimating that about 1.7 million Australian children use the platform, which it described as the country’s second-most-popular game among children. The regulator’s announcement attributes the estimate to Roy Morgan research.

What must Roblox change in Australia?

Under the undertaking, Roblox has committed to several measures intended to reduce unwanted adult-to-child contact and improve accountability:

• Prevent adults from contacting unknown children without parental consent
• Make children's accounts private by default
• Accessible reporting mechanisms that notify users of complaint outcomes is needed
• The company must use an independent third-party auditor to assess the effectiveness of its safety measures, including the deployment of its age-estimation measures

The three-month deadline is significant. Roblox must not only announce changes; it must implement them. A breach could lead eSafety to seek a Federal Court order compelling compliance and any other order the court considers appropriate. eSafety did not state that the undertaking itself imposes an automatic fine.

Roblox has already made age-based communication a major part of its safety strategy. In our earlier coverage, we explained the company’s plans for age estimation, Trusted Connections and parent insights. Australia’s undertaking shifts the focus from product promises to independently verifiable results.

What can parents do now?

The undertaking applies in Australia and the promised changes need time to take effect. Parents don’t need to wait to reduce exposure to unwanted contact.

1. Review your child’s Roblox account privacy and communication controls together. Choose the most restrictive settings that still fit their age and how they use the platform.
2. Explain that a friendly avatar or shared interest does not make an online contact trustworthy. Children should not move conversations to other apps, share personal details or accept requests from people they do not know offline.
3. Make reporting a routine, not a last resort. Show your child how to block and report a user, and ask them to tell you if a stranger or an older-sounding person contacts them.
4. Check their friend list and profile. Remove unfamiliar connections and avoid including identifying information in a username, bio or avatar.
5. Keep account credentials and payment details protected. Roblox-related scams and unofficial “executor” tools can expose accounts and devices to malware and fraud.

FAQs

Is Roblox banned in Australia?

No. Roblox has agreed to a court-enforceable undertaking with Australia’s eSafety regulator. The platform remains available, but it must introduce additional child-safety measures within three months.

What did Australia find wrong with Roblox?

eSafety said its testing found that adult strangers could send connection requests to young children without parental consent. It also identified broadly visible children’s profile and connection information and adult-child interaction in some forum areas.

When will Roblox’s new Australian safety measures take effect?

Roblox has three months from the August 20, 2026 undertaking to implement the agreed changes.

What happens if Roblox does not comply?

eSafety can apply to Australia’s Federal Court for an order requiring Roblox to comply and for other orders the court considers appropriate. The regulator did not say the undertaking creates an automatic fine.

Should parents still use Roblox parental controls?

Yes. Platform-level safeguards help, but parents should still review privacy, communication, friend and spending settings with their child and discuss how to handle contact from strangers.

More related to this subject

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·    Kids in Roblox Will Need Parent’s Consent to Message Others

·    Roblox Under Investigation as Dutch Authorities Cite Risks to Minors

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