Why It Matters
Roblox is intensifying its focus on child safety legislation as Congress remains deadlocked over the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The platform faces pressure from multiple angles: Georgia is investigating whether it violates state protections for minors, and federal lawmakers are pushing competing versions of KOSA with fundamentally different approaches to platform regulation. By lobbying specifically on facial age estimation and safety updates, Roblox appears to be positioning itself around technical compliance measures rather than the broader duty of care provision that has become the central point of contention between chambers.
The Senate version of KOSA requires social media companies to set minors’ accounts to the strongest safety and privacy settings by default, implement more parental controls, and alter design features that drive compulsive use. The House package consolidates 14 legislative proposals into a single bill but strips out the duty of care provision central to the Senate’s approach. Senate sponsors have declared the House version dead over this omission, and the chamber has signaled support for stronger provisions, leaving the bill’s final form actively contested.
Roblox filed a quarter two of 2026 amendment on Thursday, July 23, disclosing $435,000 in in-house lobbying spending on KOSA. That in-house operation, led by Senior Director of Public Policy Emma Morris and Senior Manager of Public Policy Josh Woodward, has remained the primary channel for the company’s advocacy. Roblox’s lobbying expenditure across all issues has reached $3,872,797 over the past five years, including $2,451,749 in the last four quarters.
Broader Context
The legislative environment has shifted since Roblox began its lobbying push. The Electronic Frontier Foundation urged the Senate to reject the House package, arguing it would give the government too much sway over how Americans browse the web and message each other privately. The House version includes provisions requiring age checks for all users, government-directed moderation policies, and new rules on private and encrypted communications. Public Knowledge countered that the House version strips out the duty of care that critics feared would pressure platforms into over-censoring lawful speech. Those disagreements have frozen the bill’s progress, with both chambers signaling incompatible demands for what final legislation should contain.
The Bottom Line
Roblox is navigating a fractured regulatory landscape by focusing its lobbying on specific technical requirements rather than the broader philosophical divide between chambers. The company’s consistent reliance on in-house lobbying suggests a strategy to maintain direct control over messaging as Congress remains at an impasse over how to regulate youth online safety.
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