Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined forces, sending a letter to online game platform Roblox alleging that the company has put revenue over children’s safety.
Roblox has been under scrutiny in recent history for the game’s alleged enabling of strangers to exploit children and failing to adequately crack down on users sharing child pornography. The gaming site is facing nearly a dozen lawsuits across several states. Additionally, Roblox settled lawsuits from Alabama, Nevada, and West Virginia for a combined $35 million over similar claims, which did not require the company to admit wrongdoing.
“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,” the pair wrote in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Hawley and Durbin are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism. The pair previously worked together on legislation focused on combating child sex abuse material online, which they successfully attached to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, yet to be passed in their chamber.
In their letter, the senators raised alarms that Roblox is accessible to young children and has become a breeding ground for CSAM, which, in some cases, has led to grave consequences.
“You trumpet Roblox as a safe digital playground for children as young as five,” the letter said in its opening. “But the public record raises serious questions about this promise of safety. Over the past decade, police have arrested numerous individuals for committing serious acts of violence and harm against children they met via Roblox, including grooming, sexual abuse, kidnapping, rape, and even murder.
“Roblox is being used to trade child sexual abuse material, participate in sexually explicit (and often violent) virtual ‘experiences’ with children, bribe and extort children into producing explicit content, and lure children into in-person meetings,” the letter reads. “It is heartbreaking.”
Hawley and Durbin requested Roblox provide any documents related to child safety, child sexual or physical abuse, child bullying, or child financial exploitation. Roblox was given until Aug. 31 to respond to the inquiry.
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“Let us be clear: children on your platform are hurting,” the letter concluded. “Congress will not look the other way. We await your prompt and complete response.”
Roblox’s chief safety officer Matt Kaufman reaffirmed the gaming site’s commitment to protecting children on the platform in a statement to Politico, saying it “does not compromise that commitment” for profit. The company said it plans to “share the facts” as to how younger users are protected.