UPDATE: We have a new statement from Roblox, sent to us Friday afternoon:
“The assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is categorically untrue. Every day, tens of millions of people around the world use Roblox to learn stem skills, play, and imagine and have a safe experience on our platform. We dedicate vast resources to supporting a safe infrastructure including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior -- not only because it's important to us but because it is such a critical issue and so important to our community. We dispute these allegations and we remain committed to working with Attorney General Murrill to keep kids safe.
"While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous safeguards—such as restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing—to help protect our community. Unfortunately, bad actors will try to circumvent our systems to try to direct users off the platform, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users." ~Roblox Spokesperson
Here's our original story from Thursday:
Louisiana has sued a gaming site, claiming it facilitates the distribution of child pornography and fails to protect children.
Here's the lawsuit:
In a release, the Attorney General Liz Murrill's Office alleges that the site:
- Has and continues to facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material and the sexual exploitation of Louisiana’s children.
- Knowingly and intentionally fails to implement basic safety controls to protect child users from predators.
- Knowingly and intentionally fails to provide notice to parents and child users of its dangers.
"Roblox is an interactive online gaming platform launched in 2006 that facilitates “experiences” for users. It allows and encourages users to communicate with each other in real time," the release states. "There are nearly 82 million daily active users and more than 6.4 million experiences within the system."
Because there is no age minimum and requirement to verify age or parental permission once you sign-up, users can easily say they are younger or older than their actual age - allowing child predators to pose as children and for children to bypass any age requirement, the release states.
"Once registered, users have access to millions of games such as sports, role-playing, naval, fashion, and comedy. Other games which have existed on the platform including Escape to Epstein Island, Diddy Party, and Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe are not as innocent. These games and others are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape," the release states.
The suit was filed in state court, and alleges that Roblox is in violation of Louisiana's Unfair Trade Practices Act because it claims to have "adequate safety measures."
Roblox responds
In a statement to KATC, a Roblox spokesperson said:
“We can't comment on pending litigation. But we dedicate substantial resources, including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours. While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous technology and enforcement safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing. The safety of our community is a top priority.”
The company's website lists several safety measures, rules and tips. You can find that page here. There's also what's called a "Parent's Guide" to help parents oversee their child's use of the site; you can see that here.
