Overview
- Attorney General James Uthmeier issued criminal subpoenas to Roblox, escalating an April civil inquiry into allegations the platform enables grooming and child exploitation.
- The subpoenas request records on minors’ time on the platform, marketing materials aimed at children, abuse reports from Florida users, and any prosecutions tied to Roblox chat interactions.
- Uthmeier alleges inadequate age verification and moderation allowed adults to pose as kids, share sexual content with young users, and use Robux to bribe minors for explicit images.
- Roblox says it will cooperate and cites safety measures including bans on image and video sharing in chat, filters to block personal information, AI monitoring, and age estimation, highlighting its Sentinel system and referrals to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- The action comes as lawsuits and state investigations expand nationwide, including a Louisiana case, recent Florida arrests tied to Roblox activity, and an Iraq ban on the platform, with Roblox ordered to appear before a Florida prosecutor on December 20.