Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
CONCERNS ARE BEING raised about children and teenagers being placed at risk due to potential exposure to predators via online video games.
It comes after a man was jailed this week for harassing a 15-year-old girl he met on Roblox, after convincing her to send sexualised images.
The now 24-year-old man began communicating with the teenager on different social media platforms and then threatened to leak nude images and videos he had convinced her to send if she did not do as he asked.
Roblox is a free online cartoon game platform where kids can create games and play with people all over the world. The platform said it has over 150 million daily active users, 40% of whom are aged under 13.
Mick Moran, one of Europe’s leading experts in policing child sexual abuse material, said Roblox had become a target for child sex predators because “they know that’s where the children are playing”.
Several lawsuits have been taken against the platform in the US over allegations it hasn’t done enough to protect children from paedophiles and extreme content.
The platform said it commits “substantial resources” to detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior.
Speaking to The Journal, a spokesperson for the company said Roblox has launched 145 new safety initiatives and, from early January, will become the first online gaming or communication platform to require facial age checks to access chat features.
The age checks are designed to stop children from chatting with adult strangers and ensure younger users are speaking to those in their own, or in similar, age groups.
The platform has millions of user-created games or experiences which others can also play. Moran said some of these games centre around sexuality or mental health – vulnerabilities predators will target.
Despite this, Moran, who is the CEO of the Irish internet safety service Hotline.ie, told The Journal that Roblox is marketed to and set up for very young children due to the cartoon imagery.
“It’s seen as safe by parents,” he added.
The Roblox spokesperson said: “Protecting children is a top priority and we firmly prohibit any content or behaviour that may endanger our users, especially minors.”
They said Roblox’s policies and processes are purposely designed to be stricter than those found on many other platforms.
“We have a robust set of Community Standards, we limit chat for younger users, we do not allow image or video sharing in chat, and we have chat filters designed to block the sharing of personal information and stop attempts to direct younger users off platform where moderation standards may be less stringent,” they added.
Former garda detective Moran said child grooming can occur on any game or website where children have internet access.
“The problems that are happening on Roblox are 100% happening on all other platforms,” he said.
“It needs to be understood that all platforms are the same thing, there’s no such thing as a safe platform.”
He said the “big red flag” and largest risk to children’s safety is ‘platform bounce’ – which is when users of one platform meet people and start talking to them on other, less secure websites.
He warned parents to be wary of children who use online games or sites asking to set up a social media account, as it may be due to predators encouraging them to do so.
He said whether your child is using a website aimed for children or not, if they have internet access they’re exposed to danger and should be supervised.
“Parents are guilty of underestimating the risk and overestimating their child’s capabilities,” he said.
“Children need to be supervised online, same as when they’re outside.”
Also asked about the case today EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection Michael McGrath said that the risks associated with online games could not be ignored.
“We have concerns about some of the features of of certain games that very young children are using, around gambling features, and the use of in-app currencies and loot boxes,” McGrath said.
The commissioner this is being looked at by the EU Commission over the next six to nine months. In 12 months time from now, a detailed proposal for a new Digital Fairness Act will be published for the European Union.
“It will have teeth and it will involve strengthening the protections in place for minors online,” said McGrath.
“I think the protection of children online is an extremely serious issue that we are paying closer and closer attention to.
“We are fully committed to the implementation of the Digital Services Act that places strong and clear legal obligations on the platforms in relation to the protection of minors.”
McGrath added: “One of my responsibilities is to bring forward the Digital Fairness Act next year that will involve measures to strengthen the protections for children online, including, for example, the targeting of advertising towards children, which we have a serious issue with. We think it is inappropriate.”
While he said some countries are moving ahead with their own individual measures, when it comes to social media and online regulation, there is value in an EU-wide initiative on these matter.
Roblox has been contacted for comment.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say