US Senate to investigate Roblox following claims it "prioritises revenue and engagement" over child safety

The US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism has launched an investigation into Roblox, saying the platform appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over child safety. Senators Josh Hawley and Dick Durbin have asked for nearly 30 categories of records covering sexual exploitation, predation, abuse, bullying, and financial exploitation on the platform.

Roblox has been told to provide data on how many reports were filed in 2023, 2024, and 2025, how those cases were handled, what percentage were reviewed by people, and how many accounts were banned. The committee also wants details on bullying reports involving users under 18, along with investigation and enforcement rates. The company must submit the documents by August 31, 2026.

The senators’ letter cites a long list of alleged harms tied to Roblox, including grooming, sexual abuse, kidnapping, rape, and murder in cases involving people who met through the platform. They also pointed to Roblox’s own reporting of more than 65,000 suspected child exploitation cases sent to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2025, more than double the 2024 figure.

For developers, this is another reminder that large-scale UGC platforms are now judged not just on moderation features, but on measurable safety outcomes and response processes. Roblox says it is built on safety and has added protections such as under-13 DM limits, facial age checks, sensitive-issues tagging, and stronger moderation, but the company is now facing mounting scrutiny from Congress, US states, and regulators...