By Bess Naughtin
Footscray student Carlos became a Hard Quiz Kids champion after answering specialist questions on one of the world’s biggest online gaming platforms: Roblox. When I caught up with him at school, it quickly became obvious that his knowledge goes well beyond simply playing games.
He told me about the nerves of walking into the ABC studios, meeting host Tom Gleeson, and sitting under the bright studio lights after a quick stop in the makeup chair. “We watched a video about all the rules before the show,” he laughed. “And then Tom came in. He’s really kind and fun.”
Carlos said the version of Tom audiences see on television is very much a character.
“Not like on the show,” he explained. “That’s an act.”
One of his favourite memories was being encouraged to jokingly “roast” Tom during filming, something viewers certainly saw when Carlos confidently fired back at the veteran comedian. Despite winning on national television, Carlos remains remarkably humble. Asked whether he’d do it again, his answer was immediate.
“Yes.”
In fact, he’s already got his next specialist subject picked out: air crash investigations.
But it was our conversation about Roblox that fascinated me most. As someone who works in online safety, I’m used to hearing adults debate the platform. It was refreshing to hear a young person speak with such nuance. Carlos genuinely enjoys Roblox. He loves games that encourage creativity, particularly Theme Park Tycoon 2, and dreams of one day creating his own simulator game using Roblox Studio. At the same time, he’s far from blind to the platform’s problems.
He avoids games where he believes inappropriate behaviour is more common, never shares personal information online and has strong views about how Roblox could improve its moderation systems.
“AI isn’t just going to fix it all,” he said, when explaining why he believes human moderators are still important.
Despite his passion for Roblox, Carlos doesn’t pretend it’s perfect. He believes children can have positive experiences on the platform, but only if they understand the risks and make smart choices online.
“The community is really nice,” he said, before reminding me that children still need to approach it with caution.
Conversations about young people and technology tend to become polarised. We either focus on the risks or celebrate the opportunities. Carlos did both. He spoke enthusiastically about the creativity, friendships and enjoyment Roblox offers, while also recognising its shortcomings and the need to make sensible choices online.
For someone who is in his final year of primary school, that’s a remarkably balanced perspective. It also serves as a useful reminder that many young people aren’t simply consuming technology. They’re thinking critically about it too.
Bess Naughtin is a local primary school teacher and parent. She is also the creative director at Inform & Empower, a Footscray based organisation that partners with primary schools around Australia to deliver innovative cyber safety and digital wellbeing education.
