Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a $12.2 million settlement with Roblox on Tuesday, securing child safety reforms on the gaming platform and directing all proceeds toward funding school resource officers across the state.
Marshall said Alabama is one of the first states in the country to reach a settlement with Roblox, which he said has a major vulnerability in its chat feature that allows adults outside of a child’s family to contact and solicit minors online. The state estimates more than 100,000 users of the platform are over the age of 16 in Alabama.
“Alabama will be one of the first states in the nation to deliver a very solid win for our children and families involving Roblox,” Marshall said. “We also think that we have created a framework that can be mirrored by states across the country that will not only protect Alabama’s children, but will protect America’s kids.”
Beyond the monetary value, Marshall said the settlement includes injunctive relief requiring Roblox to implement reforms that prohibit adult communication with minors under 16 unless directly authorized by a parent. Some changes have already been implemented, with others taking effect between May 1 and September 1.
The $12.2 million will be placed in what Marshall called a “safe school initiative fund” and will go directly to funding school resource officers statewide.
“Every student in Alabama should have access to an SRO,” Marshall said. “Today’s settlement will bring us much closer to making that a reality.”
Marshall also highlighted that the settlement includes a most favored nation clause, meaning that if Roblox later settles with another state on more favorable terms, Alabama’s agreement will be adjusted to match.
The settlement creates a dedicated email address for Alabama parents and law enforcement to report Roblox concerns directly to the Attorney General’s office at [email protected]. Roblox will also provide a regional liaison for Alabama and assist with law enforcement training and parent awareness of online safety risks.
Chief Counsel Katherine Robertson detailed the injunctive terms of the settlement, saying Roblox will require all users, both new and existing, to undergo age verification to access the platform’s chat feature.
“By default, it is off until you prove your age,” Robertson said.
Age verification will be conducted through two methods: government-issued identification and facial recognition technology, which Robertson said has already begun implementation.
“It is pretty accurate,” Robertson said. “We’ve tested it in the office, and it will estimate a child or an adult age almost exactly.”
Marshall said the case was handled entirely in-house by the Attorney General’s office.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
