An independent game developer who creates content on Roblox says the platform’s child safety measures, including its age verification system, do not go far enough to protect young players.
The developer, identified only as “Sam” at his request, spoke exclusively to BBC Radio 5 Live after hearing Roblox’s chief safety officer Matt Kaufman discuss the platform’s safety features in a separate interview. Sam, who also volunteers with a non-profit online safety organization, said what he has witnessed on the platform bears little resemblance to how Kaufman described it. “I’ve seen people on this platform be lured into engaging in ways that they shouldn’t with complete strangers,” he said. Sam added that he had seen reports of users being led off the platform entirely to continue conversations elsewhere, something he noted Roblox does not permit. “I have seen games where the goal is to shoot as many people as possible in the depicted version of Sandy Hook or Columbine,” he said. “I’ve seen remakes of Epstein Island on Roblox.”
