In a collection of lawsuits, over 400 individuals are alleging that the company behind Roblox, a popular online video game mostly played by children, doesn’t do enough to protect young users.
For families with children, Roblox is likely a household name. The sandbox-style video game has reached 380 million monthly users, making it the most popular online game.
An estimated 76 million users play the California-based game each day, and more than half of these players are under the age of 17, according to ExpertBeacon.
One lawsuit, filed by a Chicago firm in Polk County, Iowa, alleges the company “provides a hunting ground for child-sex predators.”
“It’s a horrendous case,” said Martin Gould, one of the lead attorneys.
He said his 13-year-old client was the victim of a 37-year-old “super predator” who groomed her online before kidnapping her. The man now faces four counts of aggravated statutory rape in Tennessee and is awaiting further charges in Iowa.
Gould’s firm, Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, said it already has 400 clients with similar stories.
They allege this is a result of the company’s chat feature and failure to adopt stricter age verification.
Recently, Roblox has adopted new security features. The company uses AI and internet moderators to remove objectionable content, and has rolled out improved age verification, which now includes users consenting to a face scan.
But attorney Steven Vanderporten said these efforts are “too little too late.”
“What about the thousands and thousands of victims? Are they going to do right by them?” Vanderporten said.
In a statement, Roblox said its policy is “not to comment on pending litigation.” But a spokesperson said “the company is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our community, with tens of millions having positive experiences every day.“
“Protecting children is a top priority, and we invest significant resources in advanced safety technology,” the statement said.
Experts say parents can protect their children in games like Roblox by linking their child’s account to their own and using the updated online safety center to block specific friends and experiences.
Vanderporten said the simplest way to protect children is to disable their access to the game’s chat feature.
“You wouldn’t let your young child chat with a stranger at the park. You shouldn’t let them chat with a stranger on Roblox either,” he said.
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