The attorney general of Louisiana filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the popular online gaming platform Roblox, accusing it of failing to protect child users. Among the material with which the suit takes issue is a game on the platform called “Escape to Epstein Island” that was labeled as appropriate for all ages.
Attorney General Liz Murrill alleges in the lawsuit that Roblox put user growth and profits over child safety, calling it “the perfect place for pedophiles.”
“Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger poised to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home,” said Murrill in a press release.
Roblox, founded in 2006, has surged in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the most widely used gaming sites for children and teens. Earlier this year, the company reported having 111.8 million daily active users, many of them minors. According to the company, 34% of its users are 13 or younger.
The attorney general’s lawsuit specifically accuses Roblox of facilitating the distribution of child sexual abuse material, deliberately failing to implement safety controls to protect minors from predators, and failing to warn parents and young users about the platform’s risks.
Roblox told Gizmodo in an emailed statement that the claim it intentionally put users at risk is “categorically untrue.”
“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,” a company spokesperson said. “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.”
In a blog post responding to the lawsuit, Roblox highlighted its efforts to protect children on its platform, including 40 new features rolled out over the past year.
Still, the lawsuit argues users can easily misrepresent their age on the platform, enabling predators to pose as children and allowing minors to bypass age restrictions for games or experiences on the site.
The lawsuit points to a recent report that uncovered a group of 3,334 Roblox users who were openly trading child sexual abuse material and soliciting sexual acts from minors.
Meanwhile, Roblox has millions of games or experiences ranging from sports and role-playing games to naval battles, fashion contests, and comedy skits. But not all of them are kid-friendly. Experiences like “Diddy Party,” and “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe” have appeared on the platform, featuring sexually explicit content.
Creators of these experiences have the control to label their games as “All Ages,” giving children access to inappropriate content. One example cited in the lawsuit is an experience called “Escape to Epstein Island,” which directly referenced the American financier who was charged with sex trafficking minors.
The lawsuit claims that the platform “has intentionally and/or knowingly designed Roblox without requiring age-appropriate designations on experiences in order to increase the number of uses per experience for the purpose of increasing revenue.”
Murrill is seeking a permanent injunction to stop the company from claiming it has adequate safety features and prohibiting it from engaging in any practices that would violate the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act.
This week, California Representative Ro Khanna also launched a petition calling on Roblox to do more to protect users.
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