Content warning: This story discusses child sexual abuse.
Louisiana is taking Roblox to court, accusing the gaming giant of failing to protect kids and looking the other way as predators operate on its platform. State Attorney General Liz Murrill’s lawsuit frames Roblox’s scale as a safety liability, citing 111.8 million daily active users and alleging that weak guardrails let offenders blend into the crowd.
According to the filing, investigators point to explicit user-created experiences and disturbing conduct in community spaces. One passage highlights a Louisiana case in which a suspect allegedly used tech to disguise their voice while interacting with minors on the platform: “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,” the lawsuit says.
Murrill’s office adds a grim assessment of what some kids may encounter: “These games [on Roblox] and others are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape,” Murill added. “A recent report even revealed a group of 3,334 members openly traded child pornography and solicited sexual acts from minors.”
Roblox rejects the core premise. “The assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue.” The company says it spends heavily on safety and round the clock moderation: “We dedicate vast resources to supporting a safe infrastructure including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to detect and prevent inappropriate content and behaviour, not only because it’s important to us but because it is such a critical issue and so important to our community,” Roblox adds. “We dispute these allegations and we remain committed to working with Attorney General Murrill to keep kids safe.”
Roblox Banning Creators
The suit lands amid backlash over Roblox banning ‘vigilante’ creators, most notably YouTuber Schlep -who pose as minors to bait suspects and publish sting videos. Roblox argues those tactics break its rules and can put real kids at risk: “Our policies prohibit directing other users off Roblox to another platform through chat and having/simulating sexually explicit conversations. These are serious policy violations that risk removal from the platform.”
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Following the ban, a massive social media outcry has followed. Even To Catch A Predator star Chris Hansen has announced he’ll be investigating the platform. US politicians are also beginning to look at the platform and put pressure on the company to do more.
The question isn’t whether Roblox is big, it’s whether its safety net is big enough.
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