Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has filed a child protection lawsuit against a popular online gaming site that she says is overrun with harmful content and child predators.
“I’m announcing today a lawsuit against Roblox, the No. 1 gaming site for children and teens. It’s also the No. 1 site for sex predators,” Murrill said.
Murrill says there are nearly 82 million daily active users, and 56% of its users are under the age of 16. In the lawsuit, the Louisiana AG claims Roblox allows for the distribution of child sex abuse material, fails to implement basic safety controls to protect child users, and fails to provide notice to parents and child users of its dangers.
There is no age minimum and no requirement to verify age or parental permission once you sign up, and Murrill says once registered, a child can find sexually explicit material.
“Sex simulation experiences, public bathroom simulations, which are listed as appropriate for kids age nine and over, ‘Escape to Epstein Island.’ There were hundreds of these for all ages,” Murrill said.
Murrill filed the lawsuit in Livingston Parish. Sheriff Jason Ard says just last month his deputies arrested an individual suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material and the suspect was actively using the online platform Roblox.
“We had a person. Our actual suspect was on Roblox, posing as a 14-year-old girl, basically doing what he does,” Ard said.
Murrill says Roblox is in violation of Louisiana law and is seeking permanent injunctive relief. In the lawsuit, Roblox would not be allowed to operate in Louisiana if it didn’t have adequate safety features, and it would have to pay restitution to Louisiana, plus attorney fees and civil penalties.
Murrill believes Louisiana is the first state to sue Roblox.