South Carolina Attorney General announced investigation into popular online game
If you are a parent, you’ve almost certainly heard of Roblox.
Free to play with cartoonish graphics and countless games created by the players themselves inside of Roblox’s virtual world, Roblox has become a childhood staple. Earlier this year, it recorded 380 million monthly users. Now it is under investigation by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office had issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Roblox Corporation, the owner of Roblox. The demand was issued pursuant to the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act, which states that unfair methods of competition, deceptive acts, or “unlawful practices” are violations of state law.
“Roblox markets itself as the #1 gaming site for kids and teens,” Attorney General Wilson said. “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.”
While Wilson was not specific about his reasons for launching the investigation, in his statement he referenced child safety, potential violations of South Carolina’s money transfer laws and advertising directed at young users.
Wilson’s investigation follows similar actions other Republican attorneys general in Texas, Florida and Iowa who have all either opened investigations into or filed lawsuits against Roblox in recent months. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird also announced that she was filing a lawsuit against Roblox Tuesday.
Representatives from Roblox declined to answer questions on the record. But in a statement, Chief Safety Officer Mark Kaufman emphasized the company’s commitment to keeping 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 his statement. “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.”
But it is not the first time that Wilson, who is running for governor, has evoked children’s safety when taking on a powerful tech platform.
Last October, Wilson joined a group of 22 attorneys general from around the country to sue TikTok over what he described as its addictive algorithm and features designed to increase time spent on the app. At the time, Wilson argued that the app’s makers were aware that it could increase the risk of depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and in some cases, suicide in young users.
“TikTok is knowingly addicting children to their platform and monetizing this behavior, all while deceiving parents about the safety of their business model,” Wilson said in statement released at the time.
Earlier this year, Wilson expressed his support for a total ban of TikTok. In an interview with The State, he not only criticized the app for its impact on young users but also called it an “existential threat” to national security due to its links to China.
What is the attorney general investigating?
The Civil Investigative Demand issued by Wilson’s office is requesting a range of information from Roblox. This included the number of minors in South Carolina who access Roblox, how content is moderated and whether Roblox allows advertisers to target underage users, according to the attorney general’s office.
The investigative demand also includes a request for information “related to potential violations of the South Carolina Uniform Money Services Act,” according to the statement.
The Money Services Act regulates the money transmitters. While Roblox is free to play, players can use real money to purchase an in-game currency called Robux, which can then be used for purchases. In 2024, players spent more than $4 billion buying the virtual currency.
Roblox has faced significant scrutiny over child safety. The company has faced lawsuits alleging that the platform allows children to be exploited and groomed by child predators.
In November, the company announced that it would begin using facial age estimation and age checks to limit who users could talk to. The system would only allow children to chat with strangers if they were roughly the same age, according to newspaper The Guardian.
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "South Carolina Attorney General announced investigation into popular online game."