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(Des Moines, IA) -- The state of Iowa is suing Roblox. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird accuses the online gaming platform of failing to protect children.
The lawsuit claims Roblox allowed predators, grooming, explicit content, and sexual exploitation to go unchecked, while assuring parents the platform was safe.
Bird says Roblox must either fix these issues, or stop operating in Iowa. As many as two-thirds of American children ages 9 to 12 have Roblox accounts.
Roblox sent this statement to WHO Radio:
“This lawsuit contains patently false claims about our platform. Roblox is built with safety at its core. We have advanced safeguards that monitor our platform for harmful content and communications. Users cannot send or receive images via chat, eliminating one of the most prevalent opportunities for misuse seen elsewhere online. Safety is a constant and consistent focus of our work, and we are currently rolling out additional measures to further limit who users can chat with. We take swift action against anyone found to violate our safety rules and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and help hold bad actors accountable. While no system can be perfect, our commitment to safety never ends. As a dad, I know there is no finish line when it comes to protecting kids, which is why we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day. Parents can visit our Safety Center to learn more about our safety work and ways to keep their children safe online: roblox.com/safetycenter."
- Matt Kaufman, Chief Safety Officer, Roblox