PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. are ready to enforce a government directive to block access to Roblox as authorities move to curb online risks to children.

ThePangilinan-led firms said Wednesday they will immediately comply once a formal order is issued, following talks with regulators on safety concerns surrounding the gaming platform.

The platform has come under strict monitoring after complaints from parents, teachers, religious groups, and the public over minors’ alleged exposure to harmful content, including “violent extremism.”

“Protecting children online is a responsibility we share with the government and families,” PLDT Chief Legal Counsel and Head of Regulatory and Strategic Affairs Atty. Joan de Venecia-Fabul said.

“We recognize that children are among our most important stakeholders, and we fully support efforts to create a safer digital environment for them.”

Regulators warn that Roblox’s open, user-generated setup allows predators to initiate contact through games and chat, shift to private or external channels, groom minors through trust-building or in-game incentives, and eventually expose them to explicit content, simulated gambling, or illicit activities.

Lawmakers have also flagged weak age verification and moderation gaps.

“We appreciate the readiness of internet service providers to support government measures that aim to keep children safe online,” National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner Atty. Ella Blanca T. Lopez said.

“The NTC continues to work closely with industry partners as we assess appropriate actions, including potential access restrictions, to address emerging risks on digital platforms,” she added.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center earlier gave Roblox 15 days to address allegations of illegal activities involving pedophiles and drug traffickers targeting underaged users. No response has been received, and the deadline has been extended to 10 April.

PLDT and Smart maintain a Child Protection Platform, a system built to filter and block flagged sites linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

Powered by digital fingerprints of abusive content from global watchdogs such as the Internet Watch Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Project Arachnid, the platform has ramped up enforcement.

In just the first two months of the year, the PLDT and Smart said they blocked 176,000 attempts to access OSAEC-linked content, bringing the total number of blacklisted web addresses to more than two million since 2021.