Roblox, the online game-building platform, which is popular with children and teenagers, is looking to introduce online dating.

The move comes as Ireland, the UK and Australia attempt to implement stricter age verification conditions for online, social media and adult content.

Cyberpsychology Lecturer at IADT Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton told The Hard Shoulder that the plan is “ill advised”.

“[CEO of Roblox David Baszucki] is positioning it as this idea of creating a well-being platform for Roblox,” she said.

“I don’t think anyone who’s ever online dated would describe it as improving their well-being; people generally don’t have great experiences on it.

“Then, having so much of your platform be for kids – particularly young kids – they're going to be interested in whatever comes on the platform.

“Some of them will find ways around whatever age blocks there are and they’ll try it out and they’ll be exposed, potentially, to people that are not what they should be.”

In this photo illustration Roblox logo seen displayed on a smartphone. Roblox is a multiplayer online game and video game creation system. (Photo by Rafael Henrique / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

While Mr Baszucki has said Roblox would limit the feature to users who are over the age of 21, Dr Fox said that it would not be difficult for children to find a way around the restrictions.

“There will be age controls but kids, we know, are better than us at using technology and getting around age controls,” she said.

“If they really want to find a way, they will.

“Then for younger adolescents, so 16, 17, 18-year-olds, it’s bringing in something that doesn’t need to be there.

“There are specific dating sites, there are places you can go to do that.”

According to Dr Fox, “when you have most of your platform with small young children on it, you have a responsibility to make sure that they’re safe on there”.

“I don’t know that they’re always necessarily doing that now,” she said.

Main image: The gaming platform Roblox is displayed on a tablet, Oct. 30, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Leon Keith, File)