Attorney General Tong Announces Investigation Into Roblox Over Harm to Children

05/26/2026

Attorney General Tong Leads Bipartisan Multistate Letter to Congress Supporting Stronger Online Protections for Children

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced the State of Connecticut has opened an investigation into online gaming and chat platform Roblox following widespread reports of child exploitation and harm.

“Roblox built an online pedophile playground. Our investigation seeks to uncover exactly what the company knew about widespread child exploitation on its platform, how they have profited, and what they have or have not done to protect our kids online. We are done waiting for half measures from Big Tech and Washington. We’ve already sued Meta, we’re investigating TikTok, and now we’re investigating Roblox. We’re going to continue to use the full weight of our law enforcement authority to hold these companies accountable and protect our kids online,” said Attorney General Tong.

"No parent should worry if the game their child plays with their friends is a gateway to grooming, exploitation and other inappropriate behavior,” said Department of Consumer Protect Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “Roblox’s own data shows that the majority of daily active users on its platform are under the age of 18, creating an environment for predators to take advantage of unsuspecting youth. We expect all companies to be transparent in their advertising, and to prioritize safety – especially for children – over profits.”

“This is an issue I’ve continued to raise in the General Law Committee, and I appreciate the Attorney General taking action to address this serious concern,” said State Sen. Paul Cicarella, Ranking Member of the General Law Committee. “We are seeing far too many cases of children being exploited online, and we have a responsibility to take meaningful steps to protect them.”

“Parents need our help. They deserve to know when their children log on to a ‘so-called’ safe and family-friendly platform, every reasonable step is being taken to protect them from predators, exploitation, and harmful content. Predators are getting more aggressive than ever. I commend the Attorney General for investigating Roblox and their safety protocols and practices and for standing up for the safety and well-being of Connecticut’s children especially with 35% of Roblox users are younger than 13, and 38% are ages 13 to 17. Big Tech companies need to be held accountable and have a duty to protect our kids online,” said State Rep. David Rutigliano, Ranking Member of the General Law Committee.

Connecticut’s civil investigative demand sent to Roblox seeks comprehensive information regarding the age of users in Connecticut, income generated from those users, and the hours spent on the platform. Connecticut is also seeking company records regarding a series of high-profile announcements and media reports, including records related to a game that attempts to recreate the Sandy Hook school shooting, records related to the gamer and self-identified “predator hunter” “Schlep” who was banned from the platform, records related to “experts from child safety and media literacy organizations” the company claims were consulted in designing safety systems and parental controls, and measures the company has taken to prevent misuse of “Robux” gaming currency, among other demands.

Connecticut’s investigation follows recent settlements reached with state attorneys general in other states. Other states including Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Kentucky have sued and litigation is ongoing.

Today’s investigation is the latest in a series of measures led by Attorney General Tong to protect Connecticut kids online. Attorney General Tong has sued Meta, alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict youth. A New Mexico jury recently found Meta liable for similar consumer protection violations, delivering $375 million in civil penalties. Connecticut’s investigation into TikTok over similar allegations is active and ongoing.

Connecticut Passes New Law to Protect Kids Online

Attorney General Tong successfully sought state legislation this session with Governor Ned Lamont to combat youth social media addiction and prohibit social media companies from exposing minors to harmful and addictive algorithms and notifications without parental consent. The bill also establishes a series of default settings regarding account privacy, time of use, and notifications, including barring notifications between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Parental consent would be required to alter the default settings.

In addition to new strong default protections, the legislation requires social media companies to annually report to the state the number of minors on their platform, the number of minors with parental consent to use addictive algorithms, and the average amount of time per day a minor spends on the platform, broken down by both age and time of day.

The bill also requires a warning label pop-up when a minor opens a social media app informing them of the mental health dangers social media proposes.
Governor Lamont is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days.

Attorney General Tong Leads Coalition Opposing KIDS Act, Supports Stronger Online Protections for Children

Today, Attorney General Tong led a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general opposing the federal Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (“KIDS Act”), H.R. 7757, arguing the bill would weaken states’ ability to protect children online while insulating Big Tech from accountability.

The coalition warned the KIDS Act would broadly preempt state laws addressing online harms to minors, including social media harms, obscenity, social gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots.

Attorney General Tong emphasized that Congress should instead advance legislation that includes a meaningful duty of care requirement for online platforms.
“The KIDS Act is a cynical gift to Big Tech, eviscerating state protections to insulate industry from accountability under a thinly disguised veil of progress. With overwhelming bipartisan support, Connecticut just passed strong state legislation to limit youth exposure to dangerously addictive algorithms and to give parents important tools to fight social media addiction. If Congress cannot step up and do right by our families, they need to back off and let states lead,” said Attorney General Tong.

The coalition expressed support for the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), S. 1748, which includes a key Duty of Care provision requiring online platforms to act in the best interests of minors while preserving states’ authority to enforce stronger protections for children and teens.

The letter comes as attorneys general across the country continue investigations and litigation involving major social media platforms, including Meta and TikTok, over allegations that their platforms target and harm underage users.

Attorney General Tong joins the Attorneys General of Hawaii, and Ohio, and Tennessee, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Wyoming. The letter is being sent to Congressional leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Assistant Attorneys General Rebecca Borné, Tess Schneider, Jordan Levin and Laura Martella, Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michele Lucan, Chief of the Privacy Section are assisting Attorney General Tong in this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov