Texas sues Roblox for allegedly failing to protect children on its platform

Texas AG Ken Paxton is accusing Roblox of “putting pixel pedophiles and profits implicit the information of Texas children,” alleging successful a suit filed this week that it is “flagrantly ignoring authorities and national online information laws portion deceiving parents astir the dangers of its platform.” 

The lawsuit accuses Roblox of deceptive commercialized practices for misleading parents and users astir its information features, and for creating a communal nuisance by harboring a abstraction “that has go a habitual destination for kid predators engaging successful grooming and kid intersexual exploitation.”

The lawsuit’s examples absorption connected instances of children who person been abused by predators they met via Roblox, and the activities of groups similar 764 which person utilized online platforms to place and blackmail victims into sexually explicit acts oregon aforesaid harm. According to the suit, Roblox’s parental controls propulsion lone began aft a fig of lawsuits, and a study released past autumn by the abbreviated seller Hindenburg that said its “in-game probe revealed an X-rated pedophile hellscape, exposing children to grooming, pornography, convulsive contented and highly abusive speech.”

In August, Louisiana filed a akin lawsuit, alleging that Roblox “permitted and perpetuated an online situation successful which kid predators thrive.” A mates of months later, the authorities of Kentucky besides sued Roblox, calling it “a hunting crushed for kid predators.” Last month, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier subpoenaed Roblox implicit akin allegations. It’s not conscionable states suing Roblox, either. Numerous families and Roblox players person besides sued the level for alleged abuse, specified arsenic the cases elaborate successful Texas’s lawsuit. 

Eric Porterfield, Senior Director of Policy Communications astatine Roblox, responded to the suit successful a connection to The Verge, saying, “We are disappointed that, alternatively than moving collaboratively with Roblox connected this industry-wide situation and seeking existent solutions, the AG has chosen to record a suit based connected misrepresentations and sensationalized claims.” He added, “We person introduced implicit 145 information measures connected the level this twelvemonth alone.” 

Roblox reported successful September that it has implicit 111 cardinal regular progressive users, galore of whom are children. Earlier this year, Roblox announced plans to rotation retired age verification utilizing IDs and facial scans, on with an AI system intended to “detect aboriginal signals of imaginable kid endangerment.” 

It echoes akin changes connected societal media platforms similar Discord, which besides began rolling retired property verification this twelvemonth and has adjacent been cited successful immoderate of the aforesaid lawsuits filed against Roblox, including one case involving a 13-year-old from Texas. Social media platforms person often successfully utilized Section 230 to shield themselves from liability for idiosyncratic users’ actions connected their platforms, nevertheless — a obstruction this Roblox suit, similar others against the company, volition face.