The family claims the man groomed the child, resulting in "horrific sexual exploitation"
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NEED TO KNOW
- A Nevada family is suing the popular gaming platform Roblox
- The family alleges that a male predator posing as a teenage boy groomed and sexually exploited their 11-year-old daughter after contacting her through the platform
- The lawsuit further claims Roblox prioritizes company growth over user safety and common-sense age-verification policies
A Nevada family has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, alleging the company failed to protect a child from a predator she met while using the popular gaming platform.
According to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE and filed in the Clark County District Court in Nevada on June 5, the abuse started in or around 2024 when the child was about 11 years old.
At that time, she was allegedly targeted by an adult male who posed as a teenage boy while playing a game called Chained Together, per the complaint.
The man allegedly used the communication features within the platform to groom the child, and eventually directed her to text messages and other messaging apps, “where he continued the grooming process and escalated the sexual nature of his contact with her,” per the complaint.
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The lawsuit alleges the interactions culminated in “horrific sexual exploitation” of the child, including the man sending sexually explicit images of himself and coercing the child to send explicit images in return.
The family claims Roblox's recommendation systems, communication features, and lack of meaningful age-verification safeguards helped facilitate the abuse.
“Had Roblox implemented even basic age and identity verification or other common sense safety measures, [the child] would never have been placed in contact with these predators and would not have been harmed,” the family's attorney argues in the complaint.
The family additionally alleges that Roblox failed to adequately disclose the risks children face on the platform.
According to the complaint, the girl's mother would not have allowed her daughter to use Roblox had the company been more transparent about the alleged prevalence of predators and the platform's safety shortcomings.
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The suit further alleges that Roblox prioritized company growth over user safety.
The complaint seeks unspecified damages, alleging the child, now 12, experienced significant psychological harm as a result of the experience, including but not limited to severe emotional distress, anxiety, fear, humiliationand suicidal ideation that has resulted in ongoing mental health treatment.
Christian Morris, an attorney for the family, said the family never imagined harm could befall their child while using Roblox.
"Roblox holds itself out as a fun place for kids to have fun, and that's exactly what they thought it was. Never in their wildest dreams would they have imagined that by playing a game — Chained Together — that it would end up with these sexually explicit texts destroying the self-image of their daughter, the shame and guilt that she lives with,” Morris said in a statement to local outlet KTNV.
In a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a representative for Roblox said “criminal behavior has no place” on the platform.
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“While no system is perfect, we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day,” the spokesperson added.
Roblox did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Alexandra Walsh of Anapol Weiss, who leads the federal litigation alleging that Roblox enabled the sexual exploitation and assault of minors, said, "This lawsuit highlights an alarming reality: When Big Tech prioritizes engagement and profits over safety, children are the ones who pay the price."
"That’s exactly what we see in this tragic case — and dozens of other alarmingly similar cases my firm has filed in courts across the country," she continued. "Roblox has known for years that predators target, groom, and sexually exploit children on its platform. Yet the company has failed to implement basic features that could protect the kids it claims to care about. It's time for Roblox to take responsibility for the harm it's causing."
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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