Louisiana Sues Roblox Over Child Safety Concerns, Alleging Inadequate Protections Against Predators

Louisiana sues Roblox alleging the popular gaming site fails to protect children

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana sued the online gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly popular site has perpetuated an environment where sexual predators "thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids." The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill said in a news release. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In Louisiana, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said his office has had multiple cases involving Roblox. In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. Ultimately, Murrill said she believes Roblox should be shut down. An email seeking comment was sent to the company Thursday. The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes Roblox as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine." Roblox doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. Roblox, which according to its website has "a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors," doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox." Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called "trusted connections." Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, Roblox told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. Roblox said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the first half of 2025.

Louisiana sues Roblox over child safety concerns: 'It's basically open season for sex predators on this platform'

The state of Louisiana is suing Roblox Corporation over allegations that it facilitates the distribution of child sexual abuse material and "the sexual exploitation of Louisiana's children" through the Roblox videogame. Roblox has denied the allegations, saying in a statement provided to PC Gamer that "the assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue." Announcing the lawsuit in a press release, Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill said the lack of safety protocols in Roblox "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," Murrill said. "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." While Roblox requires that children have parental permission to create an account, the lawsuit claims that there's nothing in place to ensure that actually happens. "Indeed, Defendant does nothing to confirm or document that parental permission has been given, no matter how young a child is," the lawsuit says. "Nor does Defendant require a parent to confirm the age given when a child signs up to use Roblox. "Defendant has access to biometric age verification software that requires the user to take a photo of a government issued ID along with a real time selfie photo that is then verified through artificial intelligence. However, while Defendant utilizes this software for other purposes, Defendant intentionally does not utilize this feature when new accounts are created." That means children potentially have access to "experiences" like Escape to Epstein Island, Diddy Party, and Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe, all of which were cited in the lawsuit as examples of "highly inappropriate" content accessible on Roblox. "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," the Louisiana announcement says, citing a 2024 Hindenburg Research report that described Roblox as a "pedophile hellscape." In a response to the Louisiana lawsuit posted on its website, Roblox claimed to have implemented more than 40 new features in the game "to protect its youngest users and empower parents and caregivers," and said it "has taken an industry leading stance on age-based communication and recently introduced new age estimation technology to help confirm a user's age through a simple, quick selfie-video." It also emphasized its ongoing relationships with law enforcement agencies, mental health organizations, parental advocacy groups, and others "to create resources for parents and to keep users safe on the platform." "We dedicate vast resources to supporting a safe infrastructure including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior -- not only because it's important to us but because it is such a critical issue and so important to our community," the Roblox spokesperson told PC Gamer. "We dispute these allegations and we remain committed to working with Attorney General Murrill to keep kids safe. "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. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users." The announcement of the Louisiana lawsuit comes the day after Roblox shared its reasoning for cracking down on "vigilantes" who track and expose predators on the platform. Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman said the behavior of these individuals and groups has "evolved" from reporting safety concerns to "impersonating children and actively [seeking] to connect with adult users," thwarting Roblox's own safety systems and violating its terms of use. The Louisiana lawsuit is seeking various injunctions against Roblox, including "representing that Roblox has adequate safety features," as well as civil penalties, damages, restitution, legal fees, and whatever else the court deems fit.

Louisiana sues Roblox for allegedly choosing "profits over child safety", claiming "it's basically open season for sex predators on this app"

The U.S. state of Louisiana is suing Roblox, alleging it facilitates "the sexual exploitation of Louisiana's children". In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General, Liz Murrill, claimed Roblox "endangers the safety of the children" of the state, writing: "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritises user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety. "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." The legal papers then names several "highly inappropriate" Roblox mini games such as Escape to Epstein Island, Public Bathroom Simulator, and Diddy Party. "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," the Louisiana announcement says, citing a 2024 report. The lawsuit claims that while Roblox requires children to have permission from their parents or guardians to open an account, the company "does nothing to confirm or document that parental permission has been given, no matter how young a child is. Nor does Defendant require a parent to confirm the age given when a child signs up to use Roblox". "[Roblox] has access to biometric age verification software that requires the user to take a photo of a government-issued ID along with a real-time selfie photo that is then verified through artificial intelligence," the AG adds. "However, while Defendant utilises this software for other purposes, Defendant intentionally does not utilise this feature when new accounts are created." In a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Murrill said: "So [Roblox] have chosen profits over child safety. It's basically open season for sex predators on this app. For this reason, and all of the others that we've talked about today, Roblox is violating Louisiana law, and that's why we filed this lawsuit." Roblox said it does not comment on pending litigation, but stressed "it would like to address erroneous claims and misconceptions about our platform, our commitment to safety, and our overall safety track record". "Every day, tens of millions of people around the world use Roblox to learn STEM skills, play, and imagine, and have a safe experience on our platform. Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue. No system is perfect, and bad actors adapt to evade detection, including efforts to take users to other platforms, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users." It added that it is constantly innovating safety tools and launching new safeguards, has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication, and serves players of which 64 percent are aged 13 or over. It also dedicates substantial resources to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behaviour, and collaborates with law enforcement and government agencies, as well as mental health organisations, child safety organisations, and parental advocacy groups "to keep users safe on the platform". "We know safety is critically important to families, and we strive to empower our community of parents and caregivers to help ensure a safe online experience for their children. This includes a suite of easy-to-use parental controls to provide parents with more control and clarity on what their kids and teens are doing on Roblox," the statement concludes. "We aim to create one of the safest online environments for users, a goal not only core to our founding values but contrary to certain assertions, one we believe is critical to our long-term vision and success. We understand there is always more work to be done, and we are committed to making Roblox a safe and positive environment for all users."

Louisiana sues Roblox alleging the popular gaming site fails to protect children

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana sued the online gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly popular site has perpetuated an environment where sexual predators "thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids." The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill said in a news release. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In Louisiana, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said his office has had multiple cases involving Roblox. In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. Ultimately, Murrill said she believes Roblox should be shut down. An email seeking comment was sent to the company Thursday. The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes Roblox as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine." Roblox doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. Roblox, which according to its website has "a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors," doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox." Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called "trusted connections." Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, Roblox told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. Roblox said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the first half of 2025.

State sues Roblox over alleged failed protection

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana sued the online gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly popular site has perpetuated an environment where sexual predators "thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids." The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill said in a news release. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In Louisiana, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said his office has had multiple cases involving Roblox. In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. Ultimately, Murrill said she believes Roblox should be shut down. An email seeking comment was sent to the company Thursday. The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes Roblox as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine." Roblox doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. Roblox, which according to its website has "a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors," doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox." Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called "trusted connections." Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, Roblox told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. Roblox said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the first half of 2025.

Louisiana Sues Roblox Alleging the Popular Gaming Site Fails to Protect Children

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana sued the online gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly popular site has perpetuated an environment where sexual predators "thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids." The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill said in a news release. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In Louisiana, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said his office has had multiple cases involving Roblox. In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. Ultimately, Murrill said she believes Roblox should be shut down. An email seeking comment was sent to the company Thursday. The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes Roblox as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine." Roblox doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. Roblox, which according to its website has "a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors," doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox." Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called "trusted connections." Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, Roblox told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. Roblox said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the first half of 2025.

Is Roblox Dangerous to Children?

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana sued the online gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly popular site has perpetuated an environment where sexual predators "thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids." The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill said in a news release. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In Louisiana, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said his office has had multiple cases involving Roblox. In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. Ultimately, Murrill said she believes Roblox should be shut down. Roblox says it can't comment on pending litigation. "But we dedicate substantial resources, including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours," the company said in a statement. "While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous technology and enforcement safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing." The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes Roblox as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine." Roblox doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. Roblox, which according to its website has "a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors," doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox." Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called "trusted connections." Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, Roblox told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. Roblox said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the first half of 2025. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The preferred-rate deadline for the 2025 Inc. Best in Business Awards is this Friday, August 15, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

Louisiana sues Roblox alleging the popular gaming site fails to protect children

The lawsuit, filed in state court by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective safety measures to protect child users from adult predators. "Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill said in a news release. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety." The company has faced lawsuits and backlash for not doing enough to protect kids on its gaming services. Last month, a lawsuit was filed in after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped. In , Sheriff said his office has had multiple cases involving . In one, police allege a man used voice-altering technology to pose as a girl on the platform. Ard said there have yet to be any arrests made related to the gaming site. "But we dedicate substantial resources, including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours," the company said in a statement. "While no system is perfect, has implemented rigorous technology and enforcement safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing." The free online gaming platform has more than 111 million monthly users. Its website describes as "the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine." doesn't allow users to share videos or images in chats and tries to block any personal information, such as phone numbers. However, as with other gaming platforms and social media sites with similar policies, people find ways around such safeguards. , which according to its website has "a zero-tolerance policy for the exploitation of minors," doesn't allow children under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission. Because the platform does not encrypt private chat conversations, the company can monitor and moderate them. However, Murrill said there is no age minimum or substantial age verification process once a user signs up. As a result, young children, teens and adults posing as children can sign up, she said. The company says on its website that age verification "is a new feature that is currently in testing on Roblox." Last month, it launched a feature that requires teenagers aged 13 to 17 to send a video selfie to verify their ages if they want to chat freely with people they know, called "trusted connections." Amid mounting criticism in recent months, the company has implemented additional measures that it says will keep their young users safe. In August, told AP that it was rolling out an artificial intelligence system to help detect early signs of possible child endangerment, such as sexually exploitive language. said the system led it to submit 1,200 reports of potential attempts at child exploitation to the in the first half of 2025. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. , source