Roblox to pay $23 million to settle child safety investigations with Alabama and West Virginia

Roblox has agreed to pay more than $23 million to resolve investigations by the states of Alabama and West Virginia over allegations that the platform failed to adequately protect young users from harmful content and online predators, Reuters reported.

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said the settlement followed an investigation that found the platform exposed children to grooming, predators, and sexual and violent material. The agreement was reached before a formal lawsuit was filed, though a complaint and consent judgment are expected to be submitted to court.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a separate but similar agreement, finalized the same day. The settlements come shortly after Roblox reached a comparable deal with the state of Nevada, signaling increasing scrutiny from multiple states.

Under the terms of the West Virginia agreement, Roblox will pay $11,080,000 over several years. More than $4 million of that total is earmarked for child safety initiatives, including a dedicated state safety specialist, educational workshops for families, and a public awareness campaign. The remaining funds will go to the state’s consumer protection fund.

In Alabama, Roblox will pay $12.2 million, with the funds directed toward school resource officers across the state. The agreement also includes a provision allowing Alabama to seek an additional $5 million if Roblox violates the terms of the settlement within the next four years.

Representatives for Roblox said the company values its cooperation with state officials and maintains that user safety remains a priority.

As part of both settlements, Roblox will implement new safeguards, including age verification requirements for all users. The company will also restrict who users under 16 can communicate with and limit the type of content they are allowed to access.

These changes align with broader updates Roblox recently announced nationwide. The platform said it is enhancing age verification measures, including facial age checks for chat access, introducing age-based account structures with additional restrictions, and expanding parental control features.

The settlements come as Roblox faces mounting legal challenges. The company is currently the subject of more than 140 federal lawsuits alleging it knowingly facilitated child sexual exploitation. Additional lawsuits have been filed by state attorneys general in Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Florida.

The plaintiffs in those cases allege that Roblox designed and marketed a platform to children while failing to implement sufficient protections against predators who used the platform to contact and exploit minors. Many of the claims involve individuals who say they were sexually abused or exploited as children after connecting with perpetrators through Roblox.

Roblox has denied wrongdoing in the ongoing litigation.