Reports of predators grooming children on the popular gaming platform Roblox have prompted demands for its kid-friendly rating to be changed.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has requested an urgent meeting with the controversial network two months after Australia's world-first social media ban kicked in.
She has also sought advice from the eSafety Commissioner about what powers can be used to prevent predators who are targeting kids with "disturbing" sexually explicit and suicide-related material.
Ms Wells also called for a review of Roblox's PG rating, which marks its content as "mild in impact", the result of a 2018 classification.
"We can all agree a lot has happened since 2018 and given what we know now about what's happening on this platform, I want them to reclassify," she told reporters on Tuesday.
Australia's social media minimum age restrictions came into effect on December 10 and require digital platforms to verify users' ages and close accounts for those younger than 16.
Ten digital platforms were asked to comply with the law, including Google's YouTube, Meta's Facebook, Instagram and Threads, as well as Snapchat, Reddit and TikTok.
Roblox, which was not named under the law, revealed 60 per cent of its Australian daily active users had undertaken age checks.
The platform is not a single game but is described as a vast ecosystem of user-created "experiences" hosted on the network.
Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh accused the minister of being slow to act on Roblox as parents had previously aired concerns about harmful content being shared in public chats.
"Anything we can do to prevent predators online where our kids are faced with abhorrent things, I think that's a good thing," she said.
"The minister's been - and if I'm going to be critical - pretty slow.
"We've known Roblox has been an issue, as the AFP commissioner said it's a predator's playground, so something needs to be done."
A Roblox spokesperson said the company had robust safety policies and processes to help protect users, which went beyond those in place on many other platforms, and it would work closely with the minister and police.
"We have filters designed to block the sharing of personal information, our chat features don't allow user-to-user image or video sharing and age checks are required before anyone has access to chat," they said.
"Those same checks are also used to limit kids and teens to only chatting with others of similar age by default."
But Ms Wells said harmful content was persisting, despite Roblox engaging "extensively" with the eSafety Commissioner over the past two years.
"This is untenable and these issues are of deep concern to many Australian parents and carers," she said.
Independent MP Sophie Scamps welcomed Ms Wells' calls and said her son had been exposed to harmful content on the platform.
"We have major concerns about Roblox and I'm really pleased to see that the minister is having that dialogue with the platform as well," she said.
The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the platform would be assessed for its compliance.
"We remain highly concerned by ongoing reports regarding the exploitation of children on the Roblox service and exposure to harmful material," she said.
"They can and must do more to protect kids, and when we meet I'll be asking how they propose to do that."
Platforms that decline to comply with the social media ban face fines of up to $49.5 million.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
