S.C. Attorney General Launches Investigation of Roblox

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by WILL FOLKS

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South Carolina attorney general and 2026 gubernatorial frontrunner Alan Wilson is making moves against one of the most popular gaming platforms in the world – calling for an investigation into Roblox.

According to a news release from his office, Wilson has issued a civil investigative demand to the San Mateo, California-based corporation pursuant to the Palmetto State’s Unfair Trade Practices Act (S.C. Code § 39-5-10 et seq.).

“Roblox markets itself as the #1 gaming site for kids and teens,” Wilson said in a statement announcing the investigation. “But ensuring the safety of our children online is a top priority for me, and if Roblox is deceiving parents on their safety protocols, they deserve to be held accountable.”

An estimated 85 million people used Roblox daily in 2024 – 40% of whom were under the age of thirteen, according to a report in The (U.K.) Guardian published earlier this year.

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“Roblox’s vision is to set the standard for online safety, with rigorous built-in protections and safety systems to help keep every user secure,” the company has stated.

However, The Guardian report – based on a study conducted by London-based Revealing Reality – exposed “how easy it is for children to encounter inappropriate content and interact unsupervised with adults” on the platform.

Specifically, the Revealing Reality study determined that

• Adults and children can chat with no obvious supervision
• There are spaces focused on adult themes that are accessible to under 13-year-olds
• The age verification measures that exist are easily circumventable
• The safety controls that exist are limited in their effectiveness and there are still significant risks for children on the platform.

Wilson’s office noted that other states have “recently filed lawsuits alleging that Roblox is saturated with sexualized content, while not having adequate age-verification or parental consent controls.”

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His investigatory notice asked the company to provide information including the number of South Carolina minors who access the site, how content is moderated, whether Roblox allows advertisers to target minor users and whether there have been any violations of the Palmetto State’s Uniform Money Services Act (S.C. Code § 35-11-100, et seq.).

“As a dad, I want to be certain that gaming platforms or websites my children can access are safe and free from sexualized material,” Wilson continued. “And as Attorney General, I want to ensure the safety of our state’s children on the internet, while making sure out-of-state corporations follow our laws.” 

In a post on X, Wilson added “our kids’ online safety is non-negotiable” and that “platforms that market themselves to kids have a responsibility to protect them, not expose them to sexualized content or deceptive practices.”

In a response provided to this media outlet, Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman noted the company shared Wilson’s commitment to keep children safe online.

“As a space specifically designed with children in mind, Roblox has advanced safeguards that monitor the platform for harmful content and communications,” Kaufman said in a statement. “Users cannot send or receive images via chat, eliminating one of the most prevalent opportunities for misuse seen elsewhere online. Safety is a constant and consistent focus of our work, and we are currently rolling out additional measures to further limit who users can chat with. We take swift action against anyone found to violate our safety rules and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and help hold bad actors accountable.”

Kaufman added that “while no system can be perfect, our commitment to safety never ends.”

“As a dad, I know there is no finish line when it comes to protecting kids, which is why we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day,” he said. “Parents can visit our Safety Center to learn more about our safety work and ways to keep their children safe online.”

Here is that link…

Keep it tuned to FITSNews for updates in the event the attorney general’s inquiries yield any actionable results…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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