Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776818586070roblox.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This picture taken on February 1, 2019 shows the online gaming service Roblox displayed on a tablet screen in Paris. <em>Lionel Bonaventure, Agence France-Presse/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>SYDNEY, Australia — Australia&#x27;s internet watchdog raised fears on Wednesday that popular online gaming platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft were being used by &quot;predatory adults&quot; to target children.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/3/31/roblox-warned-fix-child-safety-issues-or-face-ph-ban-1904">Roblox warned: Fix child safety issues or face PH ban</a></div><p>The nation&#x27;s eSafety Commission has sent legal notices to a host of the world&#x27;s most popular gaming platforms, demanding they explain how they are working to stamp out dangerous content.</p><p>Australia is at the forefront of global efforts to protect children from online harm, enacting laws last year that ban teenagers under 16 from social media.</p><p>eSafety boss Julie Inman Grant said research had shown the vast majority of Australian children played some sort of online game.</p><p>&quot;Predatory adults know this and target children through grooming or embedding terrorist and violent extremist narrative in gameplay,&quot; she said.</p><p>Online gaming platforms Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and Steam will be required to show how they are identifying and eliminating online harms, Inman Grant said.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve seen numerous media reports about grooming taking place on all four of these platforms, as well as terrorist and violent extremist-themed gameplay.&quot;</p><p>Inman Grant said examples included gaming platforms recreating mass shootings and World War II concentration camps.</p><p>AFP has contacted the online gaming platforms concerned for comment.</p><p>Australia in December banned under-16s from a raft of the world&#x27;s most popular social media sites, citing the need to protect young minds from &quot;predatory algorithms&quot; filled with sex and violence.</p><p>Three months since the landmark laws came into effect, Australia&#x27;s online safety watchdog found a &quot;substantial proportion of Australian children&quot; were still scrolling banned platforms.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tgnNXLNpfds?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The nation's eSafety Commission has sent legal notices to a host of the world's most popular gaming platforms, demanding they explain how they are working to stamp out dangerous content.</p>

The nation's eSafety Commission has sent legal notices to a host of the world's most popular gaming platforms, demanding they explain how they are working to stamp out dangerous content.

Australia's online watchdog targets Roblox and Minecraft over extreme content

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Australia's online watchdog targets Roblox and Minecraft over extreme content

Agence France-Presse

Published April 22, 2026 08:45 AM PHT

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Agence France-Presse

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