Roblox under scrutiny over reports of grooming on online gaming platforms

The growth of gaming platforms with massive social interaction reopens the debate on digital safety, age controls and corporate responsibility in protecting children and adolescents.

Roblox is an online platform of video games, mostly free and often created by users or amateur developers, that allows people to interact with one another.

Experts at the National University of Quilmes (UNQUI) consider Roblox one of the most popular gaming platforms in the world, with 111 million daily players, approximately 40 percent of whom are under 13.

The platform is popular among boys and girls aged 5 to 12, each of whom can create their own game and play those of others. Roblox allows socializing in a way similar to other well-known apps such as Fortnite or Clash Royale; indeed, part of its appeal lies in the fact that it is a world in which new games constantly appear.

Roblox has received hundreds of reports of grooming worldwide, that is, sexual violence against children and adolescents through digital environments. According to a 2024 report by the Grooming LATAM network, which included 17,000 anonymous surveys of children and young people aged 9 to 17, Roblox ranks as the fourth most-used platform in that age group, after WhatsApp, TikTok and Instagram.

Experts explain that the gaming platform has a sign-up system that is very easy to get around because, although users register a username, password and age, none of this is verified, even though parental controls are among its measures.

Julián D’Atri of Chicos.net says that groomers (abusers) find an easy way to get around these controls and pose as children in order to make contact with others. D’Atri recounts that “in every school where we go to give workshops, there are children who tell us they were asked to be someone's boyfriend or girlfriend, that someone wants to meet them, and it all happens through the Roblox platform.”

Regulatory gaps and challenges for States

Digital platforms go beyond the private life of families, which is why States must step in. This is the case of the Australian Government, which called a meeting with the gaming platform Roblox following reports of child grooming and exposure to pornographic content on the platform.

Anika Wells, Australia's Minister for Communications, said that she had written to Roblox executives to express her concern about serious reports that children in that country are being abused by predators and exposed to harmful material. 

Wells said that the reports received by the government of children being exposed to graphic content on Roblox and of predators actively using the platform to lure young people “are horrendous.” 

In response, a spokesperson for the platform stated that the company has robust safety policies and processes to protect users. The spokesperson also said the company would meet with Wells to discuss the steps it takes to keep the community safe.

In this regard, the Roblox spokesperson stated that the company has “filters designed to block the sharing of personal information” and that its chat features do not allow users to exchange images or videos, and that age verification is also required before anyone can access chat. 

Since last year, the Australian government has pushed a measure to ban social media for children under 16, with the aim of protecting the mental health of children and young people. In this regard, Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, recommended that Roblox not be included in the social media ban that began in December.

Inman Grant said that Roblox's age-based safety features will be tested and noted that fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (35 million U.S. dollars) could be imposed if the platform fails to comply with child protection laws in the country.

Prevention and digital education as key tools

Another issue to watch on the platform is mental health. Psychologists point out that Roblox activates the brain circuits of “novelty” and “instant gratification” through levels that are quickly completed, virtual rewards within the community and the opportunity to display creativity or status. Experts note that the problem arises when this logic becomes dominant.

However, specialists maintain that the solution in no way lies in prohibition, but rather in adult guidance. Roblox is not, in itself, an enemy of children and adolescents; rather, it is the setting for one of today's biggest challenges: digital platforms affecting the mental health of those who are still learning to build their own lives in the real world.

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia