Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows publicly rebuked online gaming giant Roblox on Tuesday after the company declined to appear in person before a Texas House State Affairs Committee hearing. Roblox submitted a written statement instead of answering lawmakers’ questions directly.
Legislative push for stronger safeguards
The hearing is part of a broader series of interim charges the Texas House and Senate are pursuing ahead of the 2027 legislative session. In April, Burrows added a new charge urging the House to adopt additional safety measures for online gaming platforms that have “failed to address widespread harmful content and risks to minors.”
State Rep. Ken King (R‑Canadian), who chairs the bipartisan committee, said the panel will target “serious failures by gaming platforms like Roblox – where exploitative content and nominal safeguards are exposing Texas children to ongoing endangerment.” The committee will also examine violent and sexually explicit material, as well as communications between minors and adult strangers on such platforms.
Roblox under fire for simulated school‑shooting game
The controversy intensified after Rep. Don McLaughlin (R‑Uvalde) and other lawmakers raised concerns about a Roblox game that simulates the Robb Elementary School shooting, which claimed 19 children and two teachers. McLaughlin, who served as mayor of Uvalde at the time of the tragedy, previously chaired a 2022 House investigation into the shooting and helped craft reforms now in effect.
Burrows shared screenshots of the game on social media. The images show Lego‑style figures wielding AR‑15‑type rifles moving through a hallway and into a classroom labeled “Active Shooter Studio’s Roblox game, ‘Robb.’”
Company’s user base and safety claims
Roblox, valued at roughly $2 billion, reports 144 million daily users. CNBC noted that the platform’s user base skews younger than the company’s own data suggest, with 38% of daily users aged 13‑17, 35% under 13, and 27% over 18. Roblox describes its large youth audience as a “valuable strategic asset.”
The Anti‑Defamation League (ADL) warned that a group called Roblox Active Shooter Studios (A.S.S.) has created maps replicating real‑life mass shootings, including those at Columbine, Robb Elementary, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Recent threats underscore lawmakers’ concerns
Days after Burrows called for stricter online‑gaming safety protocols, investigators thwarted an alleged plot to target a Houston synagogue and school. One of the suspects, a teenager from North Carolina, was found to have played Roblox games, prompting Burrows to say, “The foiled mass‑casualty plot targeting a Houston synagogue serves as a stark reminder of what’s at stake. Incidents like this reinforce the urgent need for closer scrutiny of the digital environments our children are exposed to on widely used platforms like Roblox. If Roblox were a person, they would already be in prison.”
Roblox’s response and existing safety tools
Roblox issued a statement asserting that it “submitted detailed written testimony to the Texas House and Senate State Affairs Committees on our industry‑leading safeguards and safety policies, and we will continue to engage constructively with policymakers.” The company highlighted its “Facial Age Estimation” system, which has processed 338 million age‑check records to help unlock age‑appropriate chat and game access. Roblox says the technology was tested and certified by third‑party labs and is more accurate than self‑declared age.
Additionally, Roblox noted contributions of three open‑source safety models to the Robust Open Online Safety Tools Model Community.
Legal action and ongoing debate
Last fall, Texas sued Roblox, alleging the company is “flagrantly ignoring state and federal online safety laws while deceiving parents about the dangers of its platform” and has become a “breeding ground for predators.” The lawsuit claims Texas children have repeatedly encountered sexually explicit content, exploitation, and grooming because Roblox allegedly prioritized profit over safety.
Burrows concluded, “When I charged the House State Affairs Committee with examining the dangers online gaming platforms pose to minors, I expected Roblox – the very platform at the center of these concerns – to be a serious partner in our work to strengthen protections for Texas children. Instead, Roblox refused to appear publicly before the committee and answer its questions. That refusal speaks volumes. A company that profits from the attention of millions of young users has a responsibility to confront serious questions about their safety, not evade them. Roblox may have chosen to hide from accountability today, but it cannot hide from the consequences of its continued negligence. The Texas House will continue to demand the accountability and action necessary to protect our children.”
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
