Online gaming platform Roblox (RBLX) is facing criticism for its social media response following the disappearance of a young boy in Long Island, New York. The teenage boy, identified in an NBC New York report as 15-year-old Thomas Medlin, reportedly left New York City to meet a friend he met on Roblox. Medlin has not been seen since January 9.
Roblox addressed the ongoing investigation in a Roblox Newsroom post on X (formerly Twitter):
“We are deeply concerned about a report involving a missing child, Thomas Medlin, in New York, and our thoughts are with him and his family,” the Roblox Newsroom post begins. “When we learned that one of our users was missing, we followed our standard process and immediately began an investigation, searched for any previous law enforcement inquiries, and reached out to law enforcement to offer any support in their investigation.”
Roblox’s lengthy post continues, but around this point, the message’s tone shifts from solemn and informative to refutative:
“After a thorough review, here is what we have found:
- No attempts to direct him to an off-platform communication method
- No sharing of off-platform contact information, including usernames, phone numbers or other communication methods
- All chat content was consistent with typical in-game discussions – No indication that he used voice chat
“We are holding Thomas and his family in our hearts as we hope for his safe return. We will continue to provide our full support to law enforcement throughout their investigation.
“We are committed to safety; for anyone interested in learning more about the safeguards Roblox has in place and how to talk to kids about internet safety please visit http://roblox.com/safetycenter.”
The statement has been viewed more than 700,000 times since it was posted Sunday night.
The platform’s continued involvement in controversial child-safety investigations and lawsuits has contributed to a stock slide, with Forbes reporting a 15% loss. Roblox’s market capitalization fell $9.3 billion over the last five days and now sits at about $52 billion. The company endured a similar slip back in October 2025 after it unveiled its Q3 2025 financial report.
How to Help
NBC New York included a description of 15-year-old Medlin and asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact local law enforcement. According to the article, Medlin was last seen wearing “a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, glasses and [carrying] a black backpack. He is about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds.”
According to Suffolk County Police, Medlin left Stony Brook School on Friday, Jan. 9, around 3:30 p.m. and boarded a train to New York City. He was last seen at Grand Central Station in Manhattan around 5:30 p.m. that evening — nearly three weeks ago.
Anyone with information regarding Medlin’s whereabouts is urged to contact Fourth Squad Detectives at +1 (631) 854-8452 or contact 911.
