Roblox responds to LA County lawsuit that alleges it is “failing to protect children from predatory behavior”

Roblox “strongly disputes” claims it is failing children after officials in Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against the online platform Roblox for allegedly “failing to protect children from predatory behavior.”

The County of Los Angeles claims that while Roblox “markets itself as a safe digital space for creativity, it is in reality an unsafe online environment that has become a breeding ground for predators,” and asserts children have been “repeatedly exposed to sexually explicit content, exploitation, and grooming” and puts “corporate profit over the safety of children.”

Claiming that the site’s age verification systems “fail” to implement effective moderation, LA County is now suing Roblox for unfair and deceptive business practices that endanger and exploit children.

“This lawsuit is about protecting children from online predators and inappropriate content,” said Los Angeles County Board chair and first district supervisor, Hilda L. Solis (thanks, The Guardian).

“Roblox has a responsibility to keep kids safe, but instead, it has allowed its platform to become a place where children can be exposed to grooming and exploitation. Los Angeles County is taking action to hold the company accountable and demand real safeguards.”

“This action is based on Roblox’s own conduct: its design choices, safety failures, and false and misleading representations,” the court paper claims. “Roblox has built an ecosystem that all but hands predators a roadmap to accessing young users: the platform’s architecture lets adults target minors with ease, masquerade as fellow children, strike up conversations, and maneuver themselves into a position of influence over those children, grooming them through repeated interactions.”

“This is not about a minor lapse in safety,” added County Counsel, Dawyn R. Harrison. “It is about a company that gives pedophiles powerful tools to prey on innocent and unsuspecting children. The trauma that results is horrific, from grooming, to exploitation, to actual assault. This needs to stop.”

The lawsuit calls for “injunctive relief, abatement, and civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day for each violation of law.”

In response to the action, Roblox said in a statement to press (thanks, Game Developer): “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.”

The company added: “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.”

It follows similar action from the Australian government, which last week demanded Roblox respond to concerns “regarding the exploitation of children on the Roblox service.”