“Roblox” faced a wave of new lawsuits this week that allege the popular gaming platform hasn’t done enough to safeguard kids from pedophiles and sexual content.
One of the latest complaints, filed in a federal court in the Northern District of California, claims that a predator posed as a child on the platform and sexually exploited a 10-year-old in Michigan. The man, who isn’t named in the lawsuit, allegedly convinced the victim to send sexually explicit images of herself after sharing some of himself.
The 10-year-old, who is anonymous in the lawsuit, met the predator last year on “Roblox” and suffered from mental health issues including anxiety, according to the complaint filed Thursday.
“What Roblox represents as a safe, appropriate space for children is, in fact, a digital and real-life nightmare for kids,” the lawsuit, filed by Dolman Law Group, stated.
Kids and teens create, explore and socialize in virtual spaces on “Roblox,” but the gaming platform has continued to grapple with child safety concerns as its user numbers and revenue grow. On average, 111.8 million users visit the platform daily.
The San Mateo-based company’s share price closed down more than 6% at $117.34 on Friday.
“The assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue,” Roblox spokesperson Kadia Koroma said in a statement. “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. Unfortunately, bad actors will try to circumvent our systems to try to direct users off the platform, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ.”
In early August, the company said it’s using artificial intelligence to help detect “child endangerment communications” earlier and alert law enforcement. Later on Friday, Roblox outlined other steps it’s taking, including restricting certain virtual experiences in spaces such as bedrooms to verified users and those at least 17 years old. The company also said it is testing a way for some users to verify their age by providing a government-issued photo ID.
The lawsuit is among a flurry of new complaints this year that accuse the gaming platform of prioritizing its profits over the safety of its users.
On Thursday, Louisiana Atty. Gen. Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit against Roblox over child safety concerns.
“Roblox” is also under political pressure. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, has been urging people on social media to sign a petition asking the company to do more to protect children on the platform.
Since July, Dolman Law Group has filed five lawsuits against “Roblox” in courts in California, Georgia and Texas. Matthew Dolman, a Florida lawyer who is a managing partner at the law firm, said a sixth lawsuit is being filed on Friday.
The lawsuits point to several steps “Roblox” could have taken to make the platform safer, such as verifying ages through facial recognition, clearly warning parents about sexual predators and putting a higher age rating for its app.
“This is just the wild west,” Dolman said in an interview. “It’s like a hunting ground for predators.”
The company, he said, misrepresents how safe the platform is to both its users and shareholders.
“Roblox” profits from transaction fees when predators offer children Robux, a digital currency used on the gaming platform, in exchange for sexually explicit photos, according to the federal lawsuit filed on Thursday.
Predators will also tell children they won’t release these photos if they hand over Robux, the lawsuit alleges.
The complaint cites a Hindenburg Research report published last year that stated there were inappropriate games on “Roblox” that researchers were able to access by registering as a child.
Some of those experiences were modeled after criminal conduct by child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Roblox” rebutted claims made in the report and said it invested heavily in its trust and safety efforts, noting that it has rules against child exploitation on its platform.
The risk of sextortion, especially among young people, is a growing problem, child advocates say. Roughly 1 in 5 teenagers experienced sextortion, according to a report from Thorn, a child safety nonprofit.
Sextortionists have used a variety of platforms, including social media and gaming platforms such as “Roblox,” “Minecraft” and “Fortnite,” to threaten victims.
