US senators have initiated a broad investigation into the game creation platform Roblox, alleging that the company prioritizes revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of children. The inquiry, led by Republican Senator Josh Hawley and Democratic Senator Richard J. Durbin, chairs of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, demands a comprehensive review of Roblox's practices.
In a letter addressed to Roblox CEO David Baszucki, the senators expressed serious questions regarding the platform's safety promises, particularly for children as young as five. They cite public records indicating that numerous individuals have been arrested over the past decade for serious offenses against children met on Roblox, including grooming, sexual abuse, kidnapping, rape, and murder. The letter references news reports detailing such incidents.
Roblox is accused of being a venue for "sexually explicit (and often violent) virtual 'experiences' with children," as well as facilitating the trading of child sexual abuse material, coercing children into producing explicit content, and luring them into in-person meetings. In 2025, Roblox reported 65,381 instances of suspected child sexual exploitation to the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, more than double the previous year's figure.
The senators have requested extensive documentation from Roblox by August 31st. These requests include details on how the company earns revenue from various age demographics and the hours users spend on the platform. They also seek to understand the percentage of users aged 18 and under who have parental oversight enabled on their accounts.
Further questions probe Roblox's use of automated tools for child safety, specifically how many accounts reported for alleged sexual exploitation, predation, or abuse of minors were reviewed by a human. The inquiry also questions why new age verification settings do not apply to custom developer-created chat features within games. The senators are seeking information on how Roblox identifies and deletes data non-compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and how it prevents adults from posing as children to interact with minors.
Additionally, the investigation asks for figures on Roblox's annual spending on trust and safety from 2018 through 2025, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total operating expenses and revenue. Requested records include organizational charts of individuals involved in trust and safety roles since January 2016, and documents detailing revenue earned from experiences where exploitation or criminal conduct was later identified.
Internal assessments concerning Roblox's financial exposure to potential changes that might increase friction on the platform, such as restricting in-platform purchases for users under 13, are also sought. Specific documents related to Roblox's collaborations with Sesame Workshop, the NFL, and FIFA, including their targeted age demographics, are also requested.
This investigation follows a history of allegations regarding Roblox's safety practices. The platform has previously faced scrutiny, including a ban in Turkey in August 2024 over child safety concerns and strong criticism from Louisiana's attorney general in August 2025. Earlier this year, the Australian government flagged Roblox, along with other popular platforms like Steam, Minecraft, and Fortnite, as potentially serving as "onramps to abuse, extremist violence, radicalisation or lifelong harm."
In response to these concerns, Roblox has implemented measures such as facial age estimation technologies and prohibitions on direct messaging for players under 13. Matt Kaufman, Roblox's Chief Safety Officer, stated, "Roblox is built on the foundation of safety. We do not compromise on that commitment. We look forward to sharing the facts about how we work to protect children on the platform."