TITUSVILLE — Anapol Weiss has filed two new lawsuits against online gaming platform Roblox and chat service Discord, alleging that both companies knowingly allowed predators to exploit children using their platforms.
The new cases bring the total number of related lawsuits filed by the firm to 11, each claiming the companies prioritized profits and user growth over child safety.
According to the lawsuits, Roblox and Discord created and marketed platforms specifically designed for children but failed to implement basic protections against sexual exploitation.
Walsh
The new filings center on the experiences of two minors, one from Florida and one from Illinois, who were allegedly groomed and assaulted after being contacted by predators through the platforms.
In the Florida case, the lawsuit claims a child in Brevard County was befriended on Roblox by a predator posing as another child.
The conversations later moved to Discord, where the perpetrator coerced the victim into sending explicit images and videos.
The lawsuit argues that both companies ignored clear warning signs that their platforms were being misused and failed to establish safeguards such as age and identity verification systems.
In the Illinois case, a Cook County child was allegedly groomed on Roblox and later lured away from home, where she was raped by multiple predators.
Attorneys for the victim argue Roblox falsely marketed itself as a safe space for children while failing to employ meaningful moderation or identity checks that could have prevented such incidents.
Both lawsuits accuse the companies of consumer fraud for misleading families about the safety of their services.
“These lawsuits highlight the alarming reality of what happens when Big Tech puts profits over our children’s safety,” Alexandra Walsh, a shareholder at Anapol Weiss and one of the attorneys leading the litigation, said in an interview with The Florida Record. “Roblox and Discord have long been aware that predators use their apps to target and exploit children, yet they have failed to take the actions necessary to prevent this horrific practice. Children are paying the price.”
Walsh said the latest filings build on nine prior cases that detail what she described as a “systemic and deliberate failure” by both companies to protect their youngest users.
“These complaints collectively highlight Roblox and Discord’s systemic and deliberate failures to protect their youngest users from predatory targeting,” she said. “These companies designed and marketed platforms to children but failed to build the basic safety infrastructure that such an audience requires.”
Walsh pointed to safeguards she said could have prevented these incidents, including meaningful age verification, identity checks, default parental requirements and restrictions on adult-to-child communication.
“Basic safeguards such as these could have made all the difference for these families,” she said. “If these companies can’t operate their programs in a way that protects children from sexual exploitation and assault, then they shouldn’t market to kids or allow kids on their platforms—plain and simple.”
Walsh also criticized what she anticipates will be the companies’ argument that monitoring all user activity is impossible, given their size.
“That position is a shocking abdication of responsibility,” she said. “Roblox and Discord are the ones who chose to let kids use their programs.”
Walsh said the firm, along with co-counsel Girard Sharp, has filed a petition to consolidate the cases in one federal court to allow for more efficient proceedings and consistent rulings.
She noted that hundreds of families have contacted the firm about similar experiences, and she expects the litigation to continue expanding.
“These cases could establish precedent that tech companies are subject to consumer fraud liability when they mislead families about the true dangers of their platforms,” Walsh said. “They could also prevent Big Tech from forcing minors into secret arbitration, as Roblox and Discord are attempting to do. Traumatized kids and their families deserve their day in court.”
