MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Tuesday announced that popular gaming platform Roblox would no longer be shut down.
The DICT decision came after a meeting with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), law enforcement, private sector and the management of Roblox itself.
“During a meeting on April 7, involving the DICT, CICC, Roblox, law enforcement and the private sector, both the DICT and CICC clarified that Roblox will not be banned in the Philippines, and that child safety remains the top priority,” the agency said in a statement.
According to the DICT, Roblox presented enhanced safeguards on its platform, including stricter monitoring, improved reporting mechanisms and age-appropriate content controls. Roblox is also set to launch an information campaign to strengthen these safeguards on April 12.
The agency instead urged parents to take use parental controls—such as tracking screen time, setting spending limits, blocking inappropriate experiences and choosing age-appropriate content—to monitor and protect their children’s digital experience.
In The Hague, the Netherlands, the consumer watchdog, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), in January launched an investigation into Roblox to see if the popular gaming platform was doing enough to protect children amid reports that they are exposed to violent and sexual imagery.
It said its probe would examine “potential risks to underage users in the EU (European Union)” and would likely last around one year.
“The platform regularly makes the news, for example, due to concerns about violent or sexually explicit games that minors are exposed to,” ACM said in a statement.
Other concerns include reports of ill-intentioned adults targeting children on the platform and the use of misleading techniques to encourage purchases. ACM said it had also received reports of these allegations and “considers this sufficient reason to launch a formal investigation into possible violations of the rules by Roblox.”
Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, platforms must take “appropriate and proportionate measures” to ensure a high level of safety and privacy for minors.
ACM said it could impose a “binding instruction, fine, or penalty” on Roblox if it concludes the rules have been broken. —WITH REPORTS FROM ZACARIAN SARAO AND AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE