The UK government has announced plans to ban children under 16 from using social media platforms by spring 2027 and to introduce new regulations aimed at protecting young users on gaming platforms, including Roblox. The measures seek to prevent strangers from contacting children online and to restrict features such as livestreaming that could expose minors to potential harm.

Roblox recently launched age-specific accounts — Roblox Kids for ages five to eight and Roblox Select for those nine to 15 — which include age verification and expanded parental controls. The platform is highly popular among young users, reaching 61 percent of UK children aged 8 to 14 in a single month, according to a recent Ofcom study. However, concerns remain over its links to grooming and child exploitation cases. In April, a 19-year-old man was sentenced for a “campaign of fear and abuse” against a 14-year-old girl he encountered on Roblox.

Experts and child safety advocates caution that current measures may be insufficient. Erica Thornton, chief executive of the Breck Foundation, which was established in memory of Breck Bednar—a teenager who was groomed and murdered by an online contact—called for stricter controls. She emphasized the need to restrict all communications between under-18s and strangers, citing the case of Breck who met his predator through mutual online friends. Thornton also highlighted that traditional warning signs of exploitation, such as changes in physical behavior, are harder to detect due to digital currencies and online interactions on platforms like Roblox.

Thornton stressed the importance of educating children and parents about online risks alongside regulatory efforts. “Education has to be as strong as regulations,” she said, advocating for conversations at home to raise awareness about grooming and safety.

Roblox representatives stated that safety remains a core priority, pointing to existing protections that limit adult-to-child communication and the recent introduction of the age-appropriate account types. They maintain that their safety features exceed those of many other online platforms.

In response, the government described its planned restrictions as “world-first,” aiming to implement robust age verification systems to prevent children from bypassing safeguards. Authorities underscored the risk posed by predators initiating contact via gaming platforms before escalating to more dangerous forms of exploitation, such as sharing explicit images. Consequently, Apple and Google have been given a three-month deadline to implement controls preventing children from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images on their devices.

The proposed regulations signal a growing recognition of the challenges posed by online environments frequented by children and a move toward more comprehensive protective frameworks in the digital space.