Louisiana filed a lawsuit against the popular gaming platform Roblox on Aug. 14, accusing the site of facilitating the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The lawsuit was filed by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleging that Roblox failed to implement adequate safety protocols on its platform to protect child users from predators. It also accused Roblox of failing to provide a notice informing parents and the platform’s child users of the potential dangers.
“Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety,” Murrill stated on X.
“Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger [posed] to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home.”
In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, a Roblox spokesperson said the company is committed to working with Murrill’s office to ensure children’s safety but disagrees with the allegations.
“The assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue,” the spokesperson stated. “While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous safeguards—such as restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing—to help protect our community.”
Roblox is an interactive online gaming platform where users can create and play games and connect in real time with more than 80 million daily active users, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Some games on Roblox include “Escape to Epstein Island,” “Diddy Party,” and “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe,” which Murrill alleged are “often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape.”
Her office stated that more than half of Roblox users are underage, with 20 percent under the age of 9, another 20 percent between ages 9 and 12, and 16 percent between ages 13 and 16. About 44 percent of its users are 17 years or older.
“Because there is no age minimum and requirement to verify age or parental permission once you sign-up, users can easily say they are younger or older than their actual age – allowing child predators to pose as children and for children to bypass any age requirement,” the office stated.
Murrill asked the court to grant permanent injunctive relief to block Roblox from engaging in any activities that violate the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act and from claiming its platform has enough safety measures. She also requested that Roblox be ordered to pay restitution.
In an Aug. 7 blog post, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said the company is working closely with law enforcement, including the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to report any potential illicit activity detected on the platform. Roblox made 24,522 reports to NCMEC last year, he said.
To keep users safe, Kaufman said Roblox has adopted a safety infrastructure that includes “oversight from thousands of people worldwide dedicated to safety” and an age-verification requirement for unfiltered chat between users.
“All other chats, including public discussions, are aggressively filtered and designed to prevent the sharing of personally identifiable information—including phone numbers, usernames, and links to other online platforms,” he stated.
Earlier this month, Roblox and communications app Discord were sued by the father of a 10-year-old California girl who was allegedly kidnapped by a man posing as a child on Roblox.
The girl, described as an avid user of Roblox, was found after being missing for more than 12 hours, and a suspect was arrested.
Roblox and Discord did not respond to requests for comment on that lawsuit at the time.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
