Roblox faces a lawsuit by Los Angeles County that alleges the gaming platform engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices that exposed children to sexual content, exploitation and online predators.
The civil complaint filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court accuses Roblox of failing to implement adequate moderation and age-verification safeguards despite marketing the platform as a safe space for children.
“This lawsuit is about protecting children from online predators and inappropriate content,” LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis said in a statement. “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.”
The mega-popular gaming platform has more than 151 million daily active users, according to the company. Roblox is designed for “age-appropriate experiences,” but users must be at least 5 years old to create an account, according to the company.
Roblox provided the following statement to NBCLA.
“We strongly dispute the claims in this lawsuit and will defend against it vigorously,” a Roblox spokesperson said in the statement. “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.”
The company said its Safety Center offers advice for parents to keep children safe online. In December, the company announced a facial age check for to access age-based chats and limit communication between minors and adults. The requirement was expanded globally in early January.
Roblox also has parental controls that allow parents to block games or users.
The county claims violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law and is seeking injunctive relief, abatement and civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation per day. Officials described the lawsuit as the first filed by a California governmental agency targeting Roblox for alleged child endangerment and exploitation.
In December, a Southern California family announced a lawsuit against Roblox that claimed a then 12-year-old user met a sexual predator on the platform.