The attorney general of Louisiana filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the popular online gaming platform Roblox, accusing it of failing to protect child users. Among the material with which the suit takes issue is a game on the platform called “Escape to Epstein Island” that was labeled as appropriate for all ages.
Attorney General Liz Murrill alleges in the lawsuit that Roblox put user growth and profits over child safety, calling it “the perfect place for pedophiles.”
“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,” said Murrill in a press release.
Roblox, founded in 2006, has surged in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the most widely used gaming sites for children and teens. Earlier this year, the company reported having 111.8 million daily active users, many of them minors. According to the company, 34% of its users are 13 or younger.
The attorney general’s lawsuit specifically accuses Roblox of facilitating the distribution of child sexual abuse material, deliberately failing to implement safety controls to protect minors from predators, and failing to warn parents and young users about the platform’s risks.
Roblox told Gizmodo in an emailed statement that the claim it intentionally put users at risk is “categorically untrue.”
“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,” a company spokesperson said. “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 a blog post responding to the lawsuit, Roblox highlighted its efforts to protect children on its platform, including 40 new features rolled out over the past year.
Still, the lawsuit argues users can easily misrepresent their age on the platform, enabling predators to pose as children and allowing minors to bypass age restrictions for games or experiences on the site.
The lawsuit points to a recent report that uncovered a group of 3,334 Roblox users who were openly trading child sexual abuse material and soliciting sexual acts from minors.
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