Roblox is being sued by Los Angeles County over accusations of failing to protect children from predatory behavior, marking the latest of this kind of lawsuit leveled against the popular gaming platform.
Filed Thursday, the lawsuit accuses Roblox of marketing “itself as a safe digital space for creativity” and says it “is in reality an unsafe online environment that has become a breeding ground for predators.”
Per the county, “The lawsuit alleges that children in Los Angeles County have been repeatedly exposed to sexually explicit content, exploitation and grooming on Roblox because the company chooses to put corporate profit over the safety of children. The lawsuit further alleges that Roblox has failed to implement effective moderation or age verification systems, despite repeated public assurances that its platform is safe for kids.”
Roblox has beefed up its safety protocols over the past year, including now requiring all users to verify their age with its facial estimation tech tool.
Still, the company is currently facing lawsuits similar to the L.A. County suit over children’s safety protections in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Kentucky. Roblox brass have previously said the claims in these suits are over events that “happened five years ago” and underline their current safety standards and ongoing changes.
In a statement issued to L.A.’s Fox11 Thursday, Roblox said: “We strongly dispute the claims in this lawsuit and will defend against it vigorously. Roblox is built with safety at its core, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day. We have advanced safeguards that monitor our platform for harmful content and communications, and users cannot send or receive images via chat, avoiding one of the most prevalent opportunities for misuse seen elsewhere online. Safety is a constant and consistent focus of our work. We take swift action against anyone found to violate our safety rules and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and help hold bad actors accountable. There is no finish line when it comes to protecting kids, and while no system can be perfect, our commitment to safety never ends. Parents can visit our Safety Center to learn more about our safety work and ways to keep their children safe online: roblox.com/safetycenter, including talking with their children about internet risks.”
Representatives for Roblox did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for further comment Thursday.
Source: variety.com
