A mother from Camden County, NJ has filed a lawsuit against Roblox and Discord, alleging that her 11-year old daughter was sexually exploited by a male predator while using the platforms. Although the family is not being represented by Anapol Weiss, shareholder Kristen Gibbons Feden recently joined Good Day Philadelphia to discuss the lawsuit and what parents can do to keep their children safe while playing Roblox.
Roblox’s Negligence Led to the Sexual Exploitation of a Young Girl
In the complaint, the mother alleges that the predator disguised himself as a young boy and targeted her then 11-year-old daughter. After being groomed, the predator convinced the girl to send him explicit photos of herself. The girl’s mother further alleges that both Roblox and Discord misrepresented its safeguards for children.
Despite the ongoing litigation and constant media scrutiny, Roblox has not taken any action to keep its young players safe. As Feden told the hosts, “I think they put profits and metrics over child safety.” Roblox could make new players show their driver’s license or their face at sign-up to prevent bad actors, but they don’t.
“They [Roblox] don’t have age verification mechanisms in place, making it possible for an old man to talk to an 11-year-old girl,” Feden continued. Roblox has thousands of games, many of which allow in-game and voice chat. Couple this with many of the games being accessible by all players and a predator could easily trick a child into thinking they’re communicating with someone in a similar age range.
Unfortunately, the case involving this young girl is not isolated. And while this particular lawsuit isn’t being handled by Anapol Weiss, our firm has filed over 10 lawsuits that allege very similar behavior, with some of these allegations dating back decades.
Lawsuits Filed to Hold Roblox Accountable
These lawsuits share a common goal: to hold Roblox accountable for their negligence, which has allowed dangerous predators to infiltrate the gaming platform. Though they advertise Roblox as a place where kids can learn to code, meet friends, and be creative, the reality is so much darker. Our firm has been involved in devastating cases in which children were groomed, threatened, sexually assaulted, kidnapped, and tragically, resulted in a young boy’s suicide.
This is a harmful platform and even when parents want to do the right thing and engage parental features, Roblox chooses to make doing so nearly impossible. “They’re buried in between these menus,” Feden explained. They’re not easy to utilize or find. They’re representations on safety and the things they put in place are not accurate.”
Per a Roblox spokesperson, “We are deeply troubled by any incident that endangers our users. While we cannot comment on claims raised in litigation, we always strive to hold ourselves to the highest safety standards. This includes strong processes to detect and act on problematic behaviors.”
But as these lawsuits have shown, their statement is not true. They do not have strong processes to detect and act on problematic behaviors because if they did, these cases wouldn’t keep coming forward.
As a parent with a child who loves Roblox, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to keep your child safe without taking away something they love. Feden recommends being in the same room with your child as they play, at least until Roblox makes good on the safety mechanisms they claim to have in place. Read our blog, Top Roblox Games Where Predators Lurk: A Parent’s Guide to Spotting Grooming Hotspots to learn more about which games to avoid.
With players as young as five on the platform, Roblox has a responsibility to keep children safe. Instead, they offer a link to migrate off the platform and onto Discord, where grooming often escalates.
At Anapol Weiss, we have a responsibility to pursue justice on behalf of these innocent children and their families, and we won’t stop until Roblox makes genuine change. Children should be able to learn to code and express their creativity without threat of grooming, intimidation, and abuse.
If you or your child was groomed on Roblox or Discord, contact Anapol Weiss at 215-608-9645 to schedule a free and confidential consultation. You can watch Kristen Gibbons Feden’s interview with Good Day Philadelphia below:
Disclaimer: This blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. It should not be considered as legal advice. For personalized legal assistance, please consult our team directly.
