{
  "id": 11976834,
  "title": "Online gaming services under scrutiny over child safety",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/online-gaming-services-under-scrutiny-over-child-safety",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-01T19:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discovered",
    "slug": "discovered",
    "url": "https://theadvocate.com.au/story/9361290/online-gaming-services-under-scrutiny-over-child-safety"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Australia's online safety watchdog has criticized some of the world's largest gaming companies for not adequately protecting children on their platforms. The eSafety Commission issued notices to providers of Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Steam, demanding explanations on how they are meeting the government's Basic Online Safety Expectations. While some platforms have made progress, significant gaps remain in their safety measures. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant emphasized that predators, violent extremists, and groomers often target children on digital playgrounds. Roblox, the second most popular platform among Australian children, has introduced measures such as accessible reporting, preventing adults from contacting unknown children without parental consent, and making accounts private by default. However, the watchdog still sees room for improvement. Inman Grant stressed that Australian children have a right to play online safely without exposure to harmful content. The government has also introduced age assurance requirements for gaming platforms, beginning in March, and further reforms in September, which could allow users to opt out of algorithmic social media feeds. While gaming platforms are exempted from the ban for children under 16, Roblox has limited access to certain features for Australians aged 18 and over. The report also highlighted varying levels of industry collaboration among different gaming studios, with some fully participating in initiatives to combat child sexual exploitation, while others, like Valve behind Steam, have been less involved.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}