Montgomery, Ala. (WDNews) — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a $12.2 million settlement with the gaming platform Roblox aimed at strengthening online child safety and funding school resource officers statewide.
According to Marshall, the funds will support the Attorney General’s Safe School Initiative, helping expand school resource officer presence across Alabama.
“Alabama stepped in where others failed to act. This settlement sends a clear message to every platform operating in this space—you cannot turn a blind eye to the exploitation of children and expect to avoid consequences,” Marshall said. “We have now established a framework that other states can and should use.”
Under the agreement, Roblox will implement stricter safety measures, including mandatory age verification using facial age estimation technology and government-issued identification. The platform will also use behavioral monitoring to flag accounts that may be incorrectly aged.
The settlement expands parental controls, allowing parents to manage who their children communicate with, what games they access, and restrict certain in-game transactions. Users under 16 will not be able to chat with others unless they are designated as “trusted friends,” with additional parental consent required for younger users.
The agreement also requires that communication involving minors remain unencrypted, allowing law enforcement to more easily investigate potential cases involving exploitation or illegal content.
Roblox has also committed to hosting safety workshops and awareness campaigns across Alabama and will establish a direct liaison to assist state and local law enforcement with investigations.
Marshall said the settlement is among the first of its kind in the country and was handled entirely by the Attorney General’s Office, meaning Alabama will receive the full amount without outside legal fees. A “most favored nation” clause ensures the state will benefit from any stronger terms reached in future agreements with other states.
State education and law enforcement leaders attended the announcement, highlighting the broader focus on student safety both online and in schools.
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