Philippine Roblox ban call sparks wider debate over children’s online safety

Roblox has become a flashpoint in Southeast Asia’s debate over child safety online, as officials scrutinise whether young users are being exposed to harmful subcultures on the gaming platform. But analysts warn that it might just be a convenient scapegoat for wider failures in how children are protected online and offline. Most recently, Roblox has been linked to the August 18 school shooting in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, where a Grade 9 student brought two firearms to a private.