Australia Finds Child Safety Gaps in Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, Steam

Australia saysFinds platformsChild likeSafety SteamGaps andin Roblox, haveFortnite, 'significant'Minecraft, child safety gapsSteam

Published 3 days ago

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Above: A photo illustration of a child sitting in front of a computer screen. Image credit: Nazar Abbas Photography/Getty Images

The Spin

KidsChildren deserve the same guarantee online that toys on a shelf already carry: built-in safety engineered in before launch, not patched after a child getsis groomed or radicalized. Gaming giants have provenshown that voluntary goodwill produces wildly uneven protection, with some refusing even basic detection tools or intelligence sharing. RegulatoryIf musclethis workscontinues, andthen itAustralia needswill toapply keepregulatory squeezingmuscle until safetythey stopsget beingtheir anact afterthoughttogether.

eSafety Commissioner eSafety Commissioner

Gaming platforms already ban grooming, sextortion, exploitation material and predatory contact with minors, with real enforcement ranging from feature lockouts to permanent bans and referrals to child protection authorities. Detailed rules on payments, trading, random-item odds and age-gated features show self-governance that adapts faster than any regulator's checklist., Playerwhile player reporting and parental controls keep thatthe system honest.