Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced legal action Thursday against Roblox, the #1 gaming site for children and teens.
The lawsuit alleges Roblox helps predators access children and distribute child sexual abuse material.
The lawsuit, brought in the 21th Judicial District, shows that through its online gaming service, Roblox:
–Has and continues to facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material and the sexual exploitation of Louisiana’s children.
–Knowingly and intentionally fails to implement basic safety controls to protect child users from predators.
–Knowingly and intentionally fails to provide notice to parents and child users of its dangers.
“Due to Roblox’s lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana,” Murrill said. “Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety. Every parent
should be aware of the clear and present danger poised to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home.”
Roblox is an interactive online gaming platform launched in 2006 that facilitates “experiences” for users. It allows and encourages users to communicate with each other in real time.
There are nearly 82 million daily active users and more than 6.4 million experiences within the system. The company reports 20% of users are under 9 years old, 20% are 9-12, 16% are 13-16, and 44% are 17 years of age or older.
Because there is no age minimum and requirement to verify age or parental permission, 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.
Once registered, users have access to millions of games such as sports, role-playing, naval, fashion, and comedy. Other games which have existed on the platform including Escape to Epstein Island, Diddy Party, and Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe are not as innocent. These games and others are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape.
A recent report even revealed a group of 3,334 members openly traded child pornography and solicited sexual acts from minors.
Last month in Livingston Parish, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence of a man suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material. At the time of the arrest, the suspect was actively using the online platform Roblox. Notably, the individual was in possession of and had employed voice-altering technology designed to mimic the voice of a young female, allegedly for the purpose of luring and sexually exploiting minor users of the platform.
For these and other reasons, Roblox is in violation of Louisiana law. The State is seeking permanent injunctive relief and prohibiting them from:
–Engaging in any activity in violation of Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act
–Representing that Roblox has adequate safety features
–Restitution to the State of Louisiana and attorney’s fees
–Additional civil penalties and damages allowable under law
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