The state of Louisiana is suing the company behind Roblox, accusing it of enabling the spread of child sexual abuse content and contributing to the exploitation of minors in the state. The lawsuit, filed on Friday, August 15, by the attorney general, aims to hold the platform accountable for these alleged failures.
Louisiana claims that Roblox Corporation has neglected to put strong safety measures in place and, "has and continues to facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material and the sexual exploitation of Louisiana’s children." The lawsuit argues that the company has created and maintained an online space where predators can operate easily, playing a direct role in the ongoing exploitation of minors across the country.
The lawsuit comes at a time when many users have expressed concern that the game was shutting down in September. Fans on Reddit responded to news of the lawsuit, with one user commenting, "On one hand, it feels like an attack on gaming. On the other though? Roblox IS a cesspool of sexual content aimed at children and the people in charge know about it and have done nothing. This has been going on for a while."
Roblox wasted no time in issuing a statement responding to the lawsuit. In a press release on their official website, the company said, "Roblox as a policy does not comment on pending litigation. However, the company would like to address erroneous claims and misconceptions about our platform, our commitment to safety, and our overall safety track record."
The statement continued by listing their safeguards and safety tools, and ended by saying, "We aim to create one of the safest online environments for users, a goal not only core to our founding values but contrary to certain assertions, one we believe is critical to our long-term vision and success. We understand there is always more work to be done, and we are committed to making Roblox a safe and positive environment for all users."
Roblox is an online platform and game creation system where users can build, share, and play games made by others. In recent years, it has come under increasing scrutiny—not just from this latest lawsuit—for its content moderation practices, its approach to protecting young users, and the way it handles monetization, all of which raise concerns given the platform’s young fan base.