US Senate Launches Investigation Into Child Safety On Roblox

There’s been another development on the Roblox and “kids safety” front. This time the US federal government is involved, as the Sentate Judiciary Subcommitte on Crime and Counterterrorism has opened an investigation. A letter was sent to Roblox CEO David Baszucki by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democrat Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, informing him of the investigation.

The letter, first shared by Kotaku, stated that while the company claims Roblox is a “safe digital playground for children as young as five” public record doesn’t seem to back that up. It notes arrests of “numerous individuals for committing serious acts of violence and harm against children they met via Roblox” over the last decade and lists the various crimes individuals have been arrested for. The letter goes on ot state that “in 2024, Roblox reported 65,381 instances of suspected child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited children”. Apparently this is double the reports of the year prior.

Building on these statistics, the letter states that “Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of children” stating that the situation “warrants congressional scrutiny”.

There has been a statement from Roblox’s chief safety officer Matt Kaufman, who spoke with Kotaku. He stated that “Roblox is built on the foundation of safety” He went on to say: “We do not compromise on that commitment. We look forward to sharing the facts about how we work to protect children on the platform.”