A recent investigation by Australia’s eSafety regulator has unveiled troubling deficiencies in child safety protocols across major gaming platforms such as Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, and Steam. The report highlights that these platforms have differing and inconsistent measures for safeguarding young users, even as online gaming remains a predominant activity among children aged 8 to 17 in Australia, with approximately 90% of them participating.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant emphasized the entitlement of Australian children to play online without the threat of encountering predators, sexual exploiters, or violent extremist content. The findings raise alarms about how inadequate safety measures can allow predatory adults to establish contact with minors, potentially leading to grooming for sexual exploitation or radicalization.
Key Findings of the Report
The report particularly criticized Valve, the parent company of Steam, for not employing widely accepted technologies designed to identify and eliminate harmful content. Unlike its competitors, Valve does not actively utilize tools to detect child sexual exploitation or violent content in communications, focusing instead on flagging scams.
Furthermore, both Valve and Roblox were noted for relying solely on their internal datasets for training language detection systems, failing to regularly update these models to enhance their effectiveness. Inman Grant expressed disappointment in the industry’s performance, stating, “We expect these services to improve their capabilities to recognize and prevent serious threats such as child sexual exploitation and violent content.”
Age Declaration and Safety Protocols
Both Minecraft and Fortnite have systems that allow users to self-declare their age, which poses a risk as it enables individuals claiming to be adults to access features that may be categorized as higher-risk. Although Steam had recently implemented age verification through credit cards, the report noted that it still relies heavily on self-reported ages. Meanwhile, Roblox has made strides in enforcing stricter age checks since December.
The report also scrutinized the lack of collaboration among these platforms in sharing critical information and participating in initiatives aimed at combating child exploitation. While Mojang Studios, the creator of Minecraft, and Roblox have been proactive in sharing insights and strategies to tackle these issues, Valve’s participation in such efforts has been minimal. Additionally, Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has not been forthcoming in communicating breaches of safety protocols with other platforms, despite global efforts aimed at addressing online child abuse.
Australia’s Stance on Online Safety
This report forms part of a broader narrative regarding Australia’s commitment to enhancing online safety for its youth. Following the introduction of a pioneering social media ban for individuals under 16 last December—which notably excluded gaming platforms—the country has continued to advocate for robust measures allowing users to opt out of algorithm-driven social media content.
A spokesperson for Roblox stated that the company has made significant investments in safeguarding children through mandatory age checks and other protective measures. Valve and the other gaming platforms have been approached for their comments regarding the findings of this report.
