Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Roblox: Child Protection

Wednesday 16 October 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mike Reader asked about steps to protect children on the Roblox platform from online predators.
  • The Online Safety Act 2023 imposes strict safety duties on online platforms to protect children from grooming by predators.
  • A constituent volunteer moderator on Roblox has banned over 14,000 accounts involved in harmful activities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mike Reader Lab Northampton South
Children & Families
Context

Concerns over child protection on the Roblox platform from online predators.

Question

What steps he is taking to protect children using the Roblox platform from online predators.

Answer from Peter Kyle

Keeping children safe online is the priority for this Government. The Online Safety Act 2023 places strict safety duties on online platforms, such as Roblox, to protect children from being groomed by online predators. Ofcom is the regime's regulator and, by the end of this year, it will set out steps for the platforms to take to fulfil their duties.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions or timeline beyond mentioning the Online Safety Act 2023 and Ofcom's role.

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Q2 Mike Reader Lab Northampton South
Culture, Media & Sport Children & Families
Context

A constituent volunteer moderator on Roblox identified and banned over 14,000 accounts involved in child grooming. Emphasizes the need for a balanced approach between technological innovation and maintaining online safety.

Question

One of my constituents is a volunteer moderator on the Roblox platform. His group has identified and banned over 14,000 accounts involved in child grooming, exploitation and sharing indecent images. Does the Secretary of State agree that while we drive for tech innovation and investment, we must keep online safety at the heart of our strategy?

Answer from Peter Kyle

I extend my deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by the crimes that my hon. Friend outlines. The Online Safety Act—and its measures that will soon come into force—is there to address that concern directly. I want these powers to be used as assertively as possible. Just today, I have heard about another story concerning Roblox. I expect that company to do better in protecting service users, particularly children, on its platform.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly confirm agreement with keeping online safety central but expressed concern and highlighted the importance of using powers effectively.

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