Texas Man Sued Roblox Over Alleged Predator Grooming and Abuse | #childpredator | #onlinepredator | #sextrafficing

A man in Texas recently sued the massive online children’s game Roblox after he claimed he was sexually extorted, groomed, and abused by an online predator when he was a child.

What Is Roblox?

Roblox, based out of San Mateo, CA, is an online platform that allows users to create their own avatar and world. They can then interact with real players from any country inside these created worlds to play games or talk via microphones and chat boxes.

The game itself is free to play, however there are in-game purchases meant to enhance playability and experience. Roblox is rated T for teen which means it is suitable for children over the age of 13.

Within each user-created world, individual ratings may be applied that include minimal, mild, moderate, and restricted.

A Texas Lawsuit Against Roblox

According to WFAA, a man in Texas is suing the billion-dollar online gaming platform for allegedly failing to uphold their safety features for protecting minors from online predators.

The man, now a U.S. marine whose name has not been released, claimed that, when he was a child, an online predator traded in-game currency for explicit photos of himself. The predator would then threaten to release the photos to the public if they didn’t meet in person.

He claimed that the meeting then resulted in sexual abuse.

A complaint from the marine alleged that Roblox’s security protocols for protecting minors are inadequate. From a lack of age verification to unrestricted chat messages, he stated the site is not actually safe for children.

On top of his alleged sexual abuse through the gaming platform, the predator was reportedly a developer employed by the company.

In efforts to protect other children from suffering the same fate as he did, the marine is seeking court-ordered safety reforms on Roblox, including chat moderation and a more strict age verification.

He is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages for his trauma sustained during the abuse as a child and as a result of being groomed through the gaming platform.