The suit claims Roblox claimed its platform was a safe place for children as countless child predators were “freely roaming the app looking for vulnerable children.”
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis mother and daughter are suing Roblox Corp., claiming the 13-year-old girl was groomed by a child predator because the company prioritized financial gain over child welfare.
Roblox is a hugely popular gaming platform that allows users to create and play their own games and interact with other users.
The suit said Roblox misrepresented its platform as a safe place for children to play while knowing that countless child predators were “freely roaming the app looking for vulnerable children.”
Roblox is facing multiple lawsuits alleging sexual exploitation against minors, though this is the first to be filed in Missouri. The lawsuit, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court, demands a jury trial and alleges fraudulent misrepresentations and negligence.
The anonymous plaintiff said her daughter used the Roblox app for several years and was targeted by a predator posing as another child. After gaining her trust, the predator transitioned their conversations to text, sent her explicit images of himself and eventually convinced her to send images of herself.
The lawsuit said the girl’s “innocence has been snatched from her forever” and she suffered “unimaginable harm.”
“(Roblox) has misrepresented and deliberately concealed information about the pervasive predatory conduct that its app enables and facilitates,” the lawsuit said. “Had (Roblox) disclosed the truth of what was really occurring on its app, Plaintiff’s mother would never have permitted Plaintiff to use this app without her strict supervision.
“Had Defendant taken any steps to screen users before allowing them on the apps, Plaintiff would not have been exposed to the large number of predators trolling the platform. Had Defendant implemented even the most basic system of age and identity verification, as well as effective parental controls, Plaintiff would never have engaged with this predator and never been harmed.”
Until late last year, Roblox’s default app settings allowed adults to easily talk with children through private messages. New default settings don’t allow adults to message children under 13, but there is nothing that stops adults or children from entering fake birthdays.
The lawsuit mentioned multiple cases covered in the media over the past several years in which predators coerced victims to send pictures or met with them in person and sexually abused them.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from litigation firms Wallace Miller, Dolman Law Group and Cooper Masterman PLLC.
