Star Metro - Louisiana sues Roblox game platform over child safety

A lawsuit filed by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill contends that Silicon Valley-based Roblox facilitates distribution of child sexual abuse material and the exploitation of minors.

"Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety," Murrill maintained in a release.

The lawsuit charges Roblox with "knowingly and intentionally" failing to implement basic safety controls to protect children.

Nearly 82 million people use Roblox daily, with more than half of them being younger than 18 years of age, according to the suit.

"Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue," the company said Friday in a posted response to the filing.

"No system is perfect and bad actors adapt to evade detection," the company added, stressing that it works "continuously" to promote a safe online environment on the platform.

The Roblox online gaming and creation platform was founded in 2004 and allows users to play, create and share virtual experiences.

Roblox is one of the most popular online platforms for children, "offering a vibrant world of interactive games, imaginative play, and creative self-expression," according to the nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI).

A FOSI guide available at its website "walks parents through the basics of Roblox, the ways children commonly engage with it, and how to use built-in features like content filters, chat settings, and screen time controls" for safety.

Roblox announced major safety upgrades late last year, introducing remote parental controls and restricting communication features for users under 13.

US-based FOSI endorsed the changes at the time, its chief saying Roblox was taking "significant steps toward building a safer digital environment."

T. MacDonald--SMC