Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) has filed a lawsuit against massively popular online gaming platform Roblox, accusing the company of failing to implement adequate safety measures to shield its young users from sexual predators.
In a scathing lawsuit filed on Thursday, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill alleged that Roblox has created an environment where sexual predators can “thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids” due to the platform’s lack of effective safety protocols. The suit, filed in state court, claims that Roblox prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over the safety of its child users.
Murrill stated, “Due to Roblox’s lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana. Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety.”
Roblox, which boasts more than 111 million monthly users, is an online gaming platform that allows users to create and share experiences with friends in a virtual universe. While the company claims to have a “zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors” and restricts children under 13 from chatting with other users outside of games without explicit parental permission, critics argue that these safeguards are insufficient.
Attorney General Murrill pointed out that there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process when users sign up, allowing young children, teens, and adults posing as children to easily create accounts.
Business Insider reports that Roblox, the $90 billion online gaming giant, is facing a growing legal firestorm over allegations of grooming and allowing child predators to thrive company. The company, which boasts a user base of nearly 40 percent under the age of 13, has been slammed with at least nine lawsuits this year accusing it of negligence and prioritizing growth over child safety.
The latest lawsuit, filed last week in a Georgia state court by an anonymous mother and her 9-year-old son, alleges that adult predators posing as children targeted and harassed the boy for months on Roblox. According to the complaint, these predators ultimately “extorted” the child into sending sexually explicit images and videos to his friends at school, causing him to suffer “devastating and life-altering psychological trauma.”
The lawsuit argues that had Roblox implemented even basic age and identity verification systems, as well as effective parental controls, the boy would never have been exposed to or harmed by the predator. Roblox announced a new age verification system in July, which includes an age estimation tool based on a selfie-style video for users who want to chat with “trusted connections.” However, critics argue this measure is too little, too late.
This Georgia case is just one of several similar lawsuits filed against Roblox in recent months. The Florida-based law firm Dolman Law Group says it is currently investigating over 300 incidents on behalf of prospective claimants. Another lawsuit filed in California federal court last month alleges a 14-year-old girl was groomed on Roblox by an adult predator masquerading as a teen, who then lured her from her home and attempted to sexually assault her before police intervened.
Breitbart News previously reported that Roblox had actually threatened a YouTuber who was catching child predators on the platform and exposing them:
Gaming giant Roblox has banned and threatened to sue a YouTuber known for confronting alleged predators on the online gaming platform. Roblox, massively popular with children and teens, has a troubled past filled with allegations of grooming and allowing predators to run rampant.
Roblox sent the 22-year-old YouTuber — who boasts 684,000 subscribers — a cease and desist claiming he violated the platform’s Terms of Use and Community policies, according to a screenshot of the letter posted by Schlep to his X account on Saturday.
The cease and desist accuses Schlep of engaging in “unauthorized and harmful activities on the Roblox platform,” which “directly undermine Roblox’s safety efforts and, critically, are exposing our users to increased risk.”
Breitbart News will continue to report on Roblox.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
