Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday informing Roblox CEO David Baszucki that the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism opened a child safety investigation into the company.
"You trumpet Roblox as a safe digital playground for children as young as five," the senators wrote. "But the public record raises serious questions about this promise of safety."
Roblox has recently faced scrutiny over its kids' safety practices, including the company's age verification methods and content moderation.
Multiple states have sued the company, alleging a lack of sufficient oversight on the platform exposes children to abusive or sexual content.
The lawmakers pointed to reports alleging predators used the platform to reach minors and commit acts of violence — including grooming, kidnapping and rape, or the sharing of sexually explicit material.
"Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of our children and the alleged criminal activity on Roblox warrants congressional scrutiny," Hawley and Durbin wrote.
The lawmakers told Roblox to preserve its records and listed more than a dozen document requests from the company.
Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer for Roblox, told The Hill in a statement Friday that the platform 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," Kaufman added.
Roblox earlier this year implemented several changes to boost protections for its child users, including the rollout of new age verification methods using age estimation technology and government-issued IDs.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com
