Roblox denies allegations of facilitating child abuse on its platform

Online gaming platform Roblox states that it constantly innovates online safety tools to protect and safeguard the tens of millions of people, including children, who play the game on a daily basis.

On Friday, the State of Louisiana filed a lawsuit against Roblox for ignoring child safety on its platform.

“For years, Defendant has knowingly enabled and facilitated the systemic sexual exploitation and abuse of children across the United States, including in Louisiana. Through willful disregard and deceptive practices, Defendant has permitted and perpetuated an online environment in which child predators thrive, directly contributing to the widespread victimization of minor children in Louisiana,” court documents say.

The indictment continues by stating that Roblox deliberately failed to implement effective safety measures to protect children against “predatory threats” and to warn parents and children of these dangers.

Therefore, Roblox “has directly facilitated the widespread sexual exploitation of minors and inflicted severe, lasting harm upon the children of Louisiana.” The plaintiff demands financial damages and civil penalties for these actions.

In a statement, Roblox said that any assertion that it would intentionally put its users at risk of exploitation is simply false.

“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,” the gaming company states.

Roblox argued that it introduced over 40 new features to protect children and empower parents with greater control last year. In addition, it launched new age estimation technology to help confirm a user’s age to unlock appropriate features. Lastly, Roblox uses both advanced AI models and thousands of “expertly trained” members to protect users and monitor for inappropriate content.

“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,” the company concluded.