Texas files lawsuit against Roblox for allegedly failing to protect children on its platform

Texas AG Ken Paxton is Roblox accusation of “putting child molesters and profits over the safety of Texas children,” alleging in a lawsuit filed this week that it “blatantly ignores state and federal online safety laws while deceiving parents about the dangers of its platform.”

the lawsuit It accuses Roblox of deceptive business practices for misleading parents and users about its safety features, and for creating a common nuisance by harboring a space that “has become a regular destination for child predators engaging in the grooming and sexual exploitation of children.”

Examples of the lawsuit focus on cases of children who were abused by scammers they met through Roblox, and the activities of groups like 764 Which used online platforms to identify victims and blackmail them into sexually explicit acts or self-harm. According to the lawsuit, Roblox’s parental control push only began after a number of lawsuits, and A report released last fall by short seller Hindenburg Which said its “in-game research revealed a hellscape of X-rated child sexual exploitation, exposing children to grooming, pornography, violent content and extremely offensive speech.”

In August, Louisiana filed a similar lawsuitalleging that Roblox “allowed and perpetuated an online environment in which child predators thrive.” Two months later, it became a state Kentucky also filed a lawsuit against RobloxHe described it as a “hunting ground for child predators.” Last month, Florida Attorney General James Othmeyer Call Roblox Because of similar allegations. It’s not just states that are suing Roblox either. numerous Families and Roblox players They also filed a lawsuit against the platform over alleged abuse, such as instances detailed in the lawsuit filed in Texas.

Eric Porterfield, senior director of policy communications at Roblox, responded to the lawsuit in a statement Edge“We are disappointed that instead of working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG chose to file a lawsuit based on sensationalist misrepresentations and allegations,” he said. He added: “We have introduced more than 145 safety measures on the platform this year alone.”

Roblox Reported in September It has more than 111 million daily active users, many of whom are children. Earlier this year, Roblox announced plans to roll it out Age verification Using IDs and facial scans, along with Artificial intelligence system It aims to “detect early signals of possible child endangerment.”

It reflects similar changes on social media platforms like Discord, which also I started asking for age verification This year, it has been cited in some of the same lawsuits filed against Roblox, including One case Involving a 13-year-old from Texas. Social media platforms often Section 230 has been used successfully To protect themselves from liability for the actions of individual users on their platforms, however – a hurdle that this Roblox lawsuit, like others against the company, will face.