Louisiana sues Roblox alleging the favored gaming web site fails to guard kids

Louisiana sued the web gaming platform Roblox on Thursday, alleging the wildly well-liked web site has perpetuated an setting the place sexual predators “thrive, unite, hunt and victimize children.”

The lawsuit, filed in state court docket by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, alleges that Roblox has did not implement efficient security measures to guard little one customers from grownup predators.

“Due to Roblox’s lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana,” Murrill stated in a information launch. “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 said it disputes the allegations.

“The assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue,” the corporate stated in a press release.

“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,” the corporate added. “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 free on-line gaming platform has greater than 111 million month-to-month customers. Its web site 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 brand new function that’s presently in testing on Roblox.” Last month, it launched a function that requires youngsters aged 13 to 17 to ship a video selfie to confirm their ages in the event that they wish to chat freely with individuals they know, referred to as “trusted connections.”

Amid mounting criticism in current months, the corporate has carried out extra measures that it says will hold their younger customers protected.

In August, Roblox instructed AP that it was rolling out a man-made intelligence system to assist detect early indicators of potential little one endangerment, similar to sexually exploitive language. Roblox stated the system led it to submit 1,200 reviews of potential makes an attempt at little one exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children within the first half of 2025.

Published – August 18, 2025 09:45 am IST