Woolworths has come under fire for collaborating with a popular online game known for exposing children to harmful content and predatory behaviour. The supermarket giant is currently running a promotion with Roblox, a virtual universe gaming platform that boasts almost 80 million daily users. It allows users to design their own games as well as play a variety of games created by other users, and has increasingly become popular with children and young teens.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Woolworth’s promotion allows shoppers a chance to win a share of 100 million Robux, the game’s virtual currency. Customers with an Everyday Rewards card who buy products from select participating brands go in the running to win a portion of the currency. Winners are drawn weekly, with the promotion running until early December.
However the collaboration has been slammed by parents and the founder of an online safety education and advisory company, who say the partnership is irresponsible. “I think it was just a bit tone-deaf to be honest,” Safe on Socials founder Kirra Pendergast told 7NEWS.com.
au. There have been myriad reported harmful experiences on Roblox, where children have been exposed to potentially harmful content and predatory behaviour. Earlier this year, an article by Bloomberg detailed how paedophiles used the game to groom young victims .
Following a robust analysis of the game, Hindenburg Research described it as an “X-rated paedophile hellscape” t.
