The state of Louisiana is suing online gaming platform Roblox, alleging that it fails to adequately protect its majority underage user base from online predators. In the state’s lawsuit, they allege that Roblox is failing to "implement basic safety controls" such as biometric age verification upon account creation or checking that parental consent has been given to open an account.
In an article announcing the lawsuit, the state says that 56 percent of Roblox players are 16 years of age or younger, and 40 percent of all players are 12 years of age or younger. "Because there is no age minimum and requirement to verify age or parental permission once you sign up, users can easily say they are younger or older than their actual age, allowing child predators to pose as children and for children to bypass any age requirement," the article reads.
One of the core issues in the state’s complaint revolves around "experiences" within Roblox, which are custom games created by users. There are over 6.4 million experiences on the platform, and the state’s suit points out specific ones it finds particularly troubling such as “Escape to Epstein Island,” “Diddy Party” and “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe.”
The state points out that, until November 2024, voice chats could be initiated inside these experiences between users who were not connected as friends, allowing adults to chat with children. While this was changed to disallow adults from chatting with users under 13 in these experiences, the state points out that, since creating an account posing as a minor is quite easy, the platform is still not doing enough to protect users within the experiences.
The attorney general’s office alleges that a man arrested last month who was suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material was using voice-altering software to mimic a young girl in order to lure and exploit users on the platform.
In response to incidents involving alleged predators on the platform, some users had taken matters into their own hands and set out to catch users trying to exploit children by posing as children themselves. One popular user named "Schlep" was basically running To Catch a Predator within Roblox and was controversially banned from the platform this month. Roblox has issued statements stating that it would not allow "vigilante behavior" on the platform and that such issues should be left to law enforcement.
In a statement to Variety, a Roblox spokesperson said "While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous technology and enforcement safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing. The safety of our community is a top priority."
The state is seeking permanent injunctive relief against Roblox, civil penalties and actual damages, though no specifics on damages have been shared. Louisiana is the first state to file suit, though Florida may follow.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/louisiana-attorney-general-has-filed-a-child-protection-lawsuit-against-roblox-182354250.html?src=rss
