Connecticut officials are pushing further on efforts to protect minors online, with the attorney general’s office announcing on Tuesday that it is investigating Roblox, one of the largest online gaming platforms in the country.
The platform allows users to create and distribute games for others to play, lets users design customizable avatars, and includes interactive and chatroom components where users can contact one another. The game also includes microtransactions, with users spending in-game currency, called “Robux” to purchase items.
The game, which launched in 2006 and saw explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, boasting more than 151 million users in 2025. A significant number of those users are under 18, fueling concerns around child exploitation both in Connecticut and nationally.
State officials worry that the platform is being used to draw youth into disturbing and violent interactions, and that older users are exploiting loopholes in the platform’s safety protocols to gain access to victims.
“Roblox has become a predator’s playground, a place where adults, where people who want to do harm for children, go looking for our kids to take advantage of them, to harm them,” Attorney General William Tong said during a Tuesday morning press conference.
The state’s investigation, which is already active according to the attorney general’s office, requests a variety of information and records from the company, including the age of Roblox users, income generated from those users, and the amount of time users are spending on the platform.
While the announcement of the investigation was billed as a “major legal step” against the company, the attorney general’s office said Tuesday that it is not currently pursuing litigation against Roblox.
News of the state’s investigation comes as Roblox seeks to address a wave of litigation and public criticism that the platform has facilitated a dangerous level of access to children and teens. The company has entered into several settlements with states in recent months and also faces dozens of lawsuits from parents and other groups who say it hasn’t done enough to protect children online.
In an email to the Connecticut Mirror, a representative for the company said it is engaging in the investigation and added that the company is working to establish new safety protocols, including mandatory age checks, additional parental controls and image restrictions.
“While no system can be perfect, we are constantly strengthening our user protections, and we look forward to working collaboratively with Attorney General Tong to help keep kids safe online,” said Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman in a statement.
But Tong said those protections have been insufficient. On Tuesday, he showed reporters images of violent games played on the platform and noted that some of the age verification protocols can be easily bypassed.
“Kids easily trick the platform and lie about their age, and adults are easily tricking the platform to convince Roblox that they’re not adults, they’re children, to get access to our kids,” he said.
The state is expanding its youth online safety efforts
The state’s attention on Roblox comes as a growing number of parents and states report youth being exploited and abused online, with gaming platforms being one key place interactions begin.
During the press conference, state Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, recalled an incident in Vernon where a teen was exploited online, then later encouraged to send violent messages including to schools. The teen had been contacted by someone affiliated with “764,” an online community that believes in “nihilistic extremism,” encouraging youth to engage in violence and self harm.
Foster acknowledged that finding ways to keep children and teens from accessing the games and platforms where these groups operate can be difficult.
“You can take away children’s phones, they might still get access through a gaming service. You can hope that they don’t have access through school, but most schools in Connecticut are now one to one tablets, and those children have devices while they’re at,” she said. “What we really need is for the technology services who are creating platforms and inviting children…we need those companies to create the levers and protections that are possible to make sure our children are safe.”
State Rep. David Rutigliano of Trumbull, the ranking Republican on the General Law Committee, agreed. Earlier this year, Rutigliano supported the committee’s work on AI regulations and consumer protections, including provisions regulating youth social media use and interactions with AI chatbots. The legislation passed earlier this month and currently awaits the governor’s signature.
“We kept the phone away from our kids, but nobody told us about Xbox and PlayStation, and that these creeps are trying to get at our children when we think they’re playing video games,” he said. “This isn’t Atari, like when I was a young man. This is a whole different thing going on.”
He said that lawmakers should consider addressing online games in legislation next year, a proposal that was supported by General Law Committee Vice Chair Rep. Gary Turco, D-Newington, during the press conference.
State officials also noted that the efforts to push companies to better protect children and teens must include parents.
“It takes all of us to ensure children’s safety, from our offices to your homes to companies that host these platforms,” said Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Brian Cafferelli. “We all have a role to play.”
Tong noted that the issue is becoming even more important amid federal inaction on the issue. Congress has not passed the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, legislation proposed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-TN.
“If Congress cannot step up and do right by our families, they need to back off and let states lead,” Tong said.
The state is expanding its youth online safety efforts
The state’s attention on Roblox comes as a growing number of parents and states report youth being exploited and abused online, with gaming platforms being one key place interactions begin.
During the press conference, state Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, recalled an incident in Vernon where a teen was exploited online, then later encouraged to send violent messages including to schools. The teen had been contacted by someone affiliated with “764,” an online community that believes in “nihilistic extremism,” encouraging youth to engage in violence and self harm.
Foster acknowledged that finding ways to keep children and teens from accessing the games and platforms where these groups operate can be difficult.
More STORIES IN GOVERNMENT
In new book, Murphy mulls politics in era of lost connections
CT delegation backs amended bill to boost housing supply
“You can take away children’s phones, they might still get access through a gaming service. You can hope that they don’t have access through school, but most schools in Connecticut are now one to one tablets, and those children have devices while they’re at,” she said. “What we really need is for the technology services who are creating platforms and inviting children…we need those companies to create the levers and protections that are possible to make sure our children are safe.”
State Rep. David Rutigliano of Trumbull, the ranking Republican on the General Law Committee, agreed. Earlier this year, Rutigliano supported the committee’s work on AI regulations and consumer protections, including provisions regulating youth social media use and interactions with AI chatbots. The legislation passed earlier this month and currently awaits the governor’s signature.
“We kept the phone away from our kids, but nobody told us about Xbox and PlayStation, and that these creeps are trying to get at our children when we think they’re playing video games,” he said. “This isn’t Atari, like when I was a young man. This is a whole different thing going on.”
He said that lawmakers should consider addressing online games in legislation next year, a proposal that was supported by General Law Committee Vice Chair Rep. Gary Turco, D-Newington, during the press conference.
State officials also noted that the efforts to push companies to better protect children and teens must include parents.
“It takes all of us to ensure children’s safety, from our offices to your homes to companies that host these platforms,” said Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Brian Cafferelli. “We all have a role to play.”
Tong noted that the issue is becoming even more important amid federal inaction on the issue. Congress has not passed the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, legislation proposed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-TN.
“If Congress cannot step up and do right by our families, they need to back off and let states lead,” Tong said.
The state’s attention on Roblox comes as a growing number of parents and states report youth being exploited and abused online, with gaming platforms being one key place interactions begin.
During the press conference, state Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, recalled an incident in Vernon where a teen was exploited online, then later encouraged to send violent messages including to schools. The teen had been contacted by someone affiliated with “764,” an online community that believes in “nihilistic extremism,” encouraging youth to engage in violence and self harm.
Foster acknowledged that finding ways to keep children and teens from accessing the games and platforms where these groups operate can be difficult.
“You can take away children’s phones, they might still get access through a gaming service. You can hope that they don’t have access through school, but most schools in Connecticut are now one to one tablets, and those children have devices while they’re at,” she said. “What we really need is for the technology services who are creating platforms and inviting children…we need those companies to create the levers and protections that are possible to make sure our children are safe.”
State Rep. David Rutigliano of Trumbull, the ranking Republican on the General Law Committee, agreed. Earlier this year, Rutigliano supported the committee’s work on AI regulations and consumer protections, including provisions regulating youth social media use and interactions with AI chatbots. The legislation passed earlier this month and currently awaits the governor’s signature.
“We kept the phone away from our kids, but nobody told us about Xbox and PlayStation, and that these creeps are trying to get at our children when we think they’re playing video games,” he said. “This isn’t Atari, like when I was a young man. This is a whole different thing going on.”
He said that lawmakers should consider addressing online games in legislation next year, a proposal that was supported by General Law Committee Vice Chair Rep. Gary Turco, D-Newington, during the press conference.
State officials also noted that the efforts to push companies to better protect children and teens must include parents.
“It takes all of us to ensure children’s safety, from our offices to your homes to companies that host these platforms,” said Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Brian Cafferelli. “We all have a role to play.”
Tong noted that the issue is becoming even more important amid federal inaction on the issue. Congress has not passed the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, legislation proposed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-TN.
“If Congress cannot step up and do right by our families, they need to back off and let states lead,” Tong said.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
