Gaming Platforms Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Steam Served with Legal Transparency Notices in Australia
AUSTRALIA – The gaming platforms Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Steam were on Wednesday served with legally enforceable transparency notices by the Australia‘s eSafety Commission, over concerns that the platforms are being abused by extremist groups and sexual predators.
According to an eSafety Commission statement, the notices require companies to explain how they detect, prevent, and respond to harms such as grooming, cyberbullying, online hate, and radicalization, as well as whether their systems are in compliance with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said online gaming environments can act as an initial contact point between offenders and children, who are then often moved to private messaging platforms.
“Gaming platforms are amongst the online spaces most heavily used by Australian children,” she said, noting that around nine in 10 children aged 8 to 17 play online games.
She warned that predators deliberately target children, while extremist content and violent propaganda can be embedded in gameplay environments, increasing risks of radicalization and harm.
eSafety said compliance with the transparency notices is mandatory, with potential penalties of up to AUD $825,000 (approximately $544,500) per day for non-compliance and up to AUD $49.5 million (approximately $32.67 million) per breach under Australia’s online safety laws.
Last year, Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media accounts for minors under 16.
Since Australia’s move, several countries have been taking steps in the same direction amid growing concerns over social media‘s effects on growing brains, mental health, and learning.
