TALLAHASSEE – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is issuing criminal subpoenas to the popular online gaming platform Roblox.
Uthmeier’s office, in an October 20 press release, said the subpoenas will investigate whether Roblox’s actions, or lack thereof, are aiding predators in accessing and harming children.
Uthmeier
“Platforms like Roblox have become breeding grounds for predators to gain access to our kids,” Uthmeier said. “We will stop at nothing in the fight to protect Florida’s children, and companies that expose them to harm will be held accountable.”
Accoding to the AG’s office, multiple investigations have revealed that sexual predators are using Roblox to access, communicate with and groom minors.
The allegations against the gaming platform include negligence in adequately verifying users’ ages and failures in content moderation that have allowed sexually explicit material to evade filters and circulate within the platform. Reports also suggest predators are utilizing the platform’s in-game currency, “Robux,” to bribe minors into sending sexually explicit images of themselves.
Victims have accused Roblox of knowingly failing to implement meaningful safety measures or provide adequate warnings to parents about the dangers their children face, while publicly maintaining that the platform is safe for young users, according to Uthmeier’s office.
The AG’s office says further reports indicate Roblox has knowingly failed to report incidents of child victimization to the proper authorities.
Roblox has been the target of several civil lawsuits across the country, including some in Florida. The civil lawsuits make claims similar to those by Uthmeier alleging Roblox created and marketed platforms specifically designed for children but failed to implement basic protections against sexual exploitation.
Earlier this year, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office filed a lawsuit against Roblox claiming the gaming 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 and knowingly and intentionally fails to provide notice to parents and child users of its dangers.
