When Ava Thompson started playing Roblox at age 10, her parents thought they’d found a safe digital playground. Four years later, the Calgary teenager is leading a growing movement demanding the popular gaming platform strengthen protections for its youngest users.
“I saw things no kid should see,” explains Thompson, now 14, sitting in her family’s suburban living room. “Predatory messages, violent content, and scams targeting kids who don’t know better.”
Thompson’s campaign began after she encountered multiple concerning situations while using the platform, including strangers attempting to extract personal information and exposure to inappropriate content that bypassed the platform’s filters.
Rather than simply logging off, she started documenting these incidents, creating a detailed report that caught the attention of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in Winnipeg. Her evidence catalyzed what has become a nationwide conversation about children’s online safety.
“Ava provided us with concrete examples of how Roblox’s moderation systems fail in real-world scenarios,” says Martin Chen, digital safety coordinator at the Centre. “Her perspective as both a user and a young advocate is invaluable to our work.”
Roblox, with over 65 million daily active users worldwide and approximately 5.2 million in Canada according to recent industry reports, has become particularly popular among children aged 9-12. The platform allows users to create and play games within its ecosystem.
The company maintains it has robust safety features, including chat filters, content moderation, and parental controls. A Roblox spokesperson told Mediawall.news that “safety is our top priority” and pointed to their recently expanded team of 4,000 trust and safety specialists who monitor the platform.
But Thompson argues these measures often fall short in practice. She’s documented numerous instances where harmful content slips through filters or where predatory users find workarounds to established safety protocols.
“They’re using symbols and misspellings to get around word filters,” Thompson explains. “Or they’ll start conversations in games, then try to move kids to other platforms with fewer protections.”
Her advocacy caught the attention of Calgary MP Samantha Wright, who invited Thompson to speak at a parliamentary committee on online harms last month. The teenager’s testimony provided firsthand insights that many lawmakers found compelling.
“Ms. Thompson articulated problems that many adults in the room hadn’t fully grasped,” Wright said following the hearing. “Her testimony influenced our recommendations for strengthening Canada’s online safety framework.”
Statistics Canada reported last year that 34% of Canadian children experienced some form of online harassment or inappropriate contact, with gaming platforms being a significant vector for these incidents.
Dr. Elena Patel, digital childhood researcher at the University of British Columbia, says platforms like Roblox occupy a challenging middle ground in the online ecosystem.
“These aren’t strictly social media, nor are they just video games,” Patel explains. “They’re social gaming platforms where creative play and social interaction merge, creating unique safety challenges that require specialized approaches.”
Thompson isn’t calling for banning the platform. Instead, her advocacy focuses on practical improvements: more transparent moderation, better verification of users’ ages, and proactive detection of grooming behaviors before they escalate.
Her parents, initially hesitant about her public advocacy, now fully support her efforts. “We worried about backlash,” admits her father, Daniel Thompson. “But we’re proud she’s channeling a negative experience into something that could protect other kids.”
The teen’s campaign has gained traction beyond Parliament Hill. She’s helped organize a network of young “safety ambassadors” across five provinces who document safety concerns on the platform and report them to both Roblox and Canadian authorities.
In Red Deer, Edmonton, and Vancouver, Thompson has led workshops teaching parents and educators about digital risks that might not be obvious to those unfamiliar with the platform.
“Most parents have no idea what’s happening in these games,” says Joanne McLean, who attended a session in Edmonton with her 11-year-old son. “Ava speaks their language and translates these concerns in ways both kids and parents understand.”
Roblox has taken notice. Following Thompson’s parliamentary testimony, company representatives reached out to discuss her concerns and invited her to join a newly formed youth advisory council that will provide input on safety features.
“We value feedback from our community, especially young users who experience our platform firsthand,” the company stated in an email response to inquiries about Thompson’s advocacy.
While some industry observers view this as a positive step, others, including Thompson herself, remain cautious.
“I’ll believe in their commitment when I see real changes,” she says. “Not just new policies, but actual improvements in how they protect kids every day on the platform.”
As online safety legislation advances through Parliament this fall, Thompson continues gathering evidence and building support. Her bedroom wall features a map tracking reports from young users across Canada, with red pins indicating serious safety concerns.
“This isn’t just about Roblox,” Thompson emphasizes. “It’s about creating standards for how all platforms should protect kids. We deserve digital spaces where we can play and create without constantly looking over our shoulders.”
With Canadian regulators increasingly focused on online harms, Thompson’s grassroots movement represents a uniquely powerful voice in the conversation—one that understands both the appeal of these platforms and their very real dangers.
“Sometimes adults forget that we’re not asking for perfect protection,” she says, glancing at the dozens of supportive messages from fellow young users pinned to her bulletin board. “We just want the same basic safety online that we expect in the real world.”
