Sen. Risa Hontiveros has urged Roblox to appoint a legal representative in the Philippines who can respond to government orders and requests involving possible online child abuse.
Hontiveros raised the proposal during a meeting with Roblox representatives as the Senate considers the strengthened Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children measure, now called the SAGIP Bata Act.
Under the proposed legislation, online platforms would be required to designate a Philippine-based representative authorized to receive subpoenas, takedown and blocking orders, requests for account information, and other lawful directives.
“When a Filipino child may be a victim of grooming or online sexual abuse, every hour matters. Our authorities need to know immediately whom they should approach,” Hontiveros said in Filipino.
Roblox told the senator that it already has channels for coordinating with Philippine law-enforcement agencies and is open to appointing a qualified third party as its local representative.
Hontiveros said the requirement would establish a formal point of contact between technology platforms and Philippine authorities while providing clearer lines of accountability.
“We appreciate Roblox’s openness and its existing work with our law-enforcement agencies. Our goal is to build on that cooperation and make it reliable across platforms, and not dependent on informal or individual arrangements,” she said.
The senator added that responsibility for protecting children online should not fall solely on parents and young users. Platforms that allow children to meet and communicate must also take steps to prevent grooming, exploitation, and abuse, she said.
The discussions come as Roblox expands the ways users can access its platform and interact across games. At its 12th annual Roblox Developers Conference in San Mateo, California, the company announced that creators would soon be able to offer games as standalone applications on mobile devices, PCs, and consoles.
Roblox also plans to introduce in-browser gameplay through Chrome by the end of the year, allowing users to launch games without installing an app, as well as support for offline and single-player sessions. A new Friends chat tab will allow conversations to continue across games, while voice typing is also being added.
On the development side, Roblox is expanding Build, its prompt-to-game artificial intelligence tool, to public alpha testing in Singapore and Serbia.
The company said creators have published about 9,000 games through the tool since its launch, with 71% made by first-time Roblox Studio users.
Other planned features include AI-assisted scene generation and non-player characters capable of playtesting games.
Roblox is also introducing new monetization tools, including Roblox Wallet, which will allow eligible creators to receive daily payments in real currency and transfer their earnings. The service will initially roll out to US-based creators aged 18 and above later this year before expanding globally in 2027.
The platform’s expansion and the addition of new social, creation, and payment features place greater emphasis on the need for clear regulatory and accountability channels, particularly in markets such as the Philippines where children make up a significant part of its audience.
