A new federal complaint accuses the gaming giant of ignoring warnings about exploitative content and failing to protect children.
NEED TO KNOW
- A new filing describes a 10-year-old girl allegedly groomed on Roblox, then lured into sending explicit images, and cites dozens of similar cases
- Suit cites “virtual strip clubs,” usernames referencing pedophilia and games tied to Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jeffrey Epstein and other explicit themes
- Roblox faces mounting litigation, with Dolman Law Group noting it is investigating more than 300 similar complaints tied to child exploitation
[Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. The number of lawsuits filed against Roblox by the Dolman Law Group is five, not 300 as previously reported. This has been corrected in the current text.]
Roblox, one of the most popular gaming platforms for children, is facing another federal lawsuit alleging the company failed to protect minors from sexual exploitation, even as it touted safety as its top priority.
In a complaint filed this month in the Northern District of California, a Michigan mother, on behalf of her 10-year-old daughter, accuses Roblox Corporation of knowingly allowing predators to thrive on its platform.
The lawsuit, filed by Dolman Law Group, claims Roblox “prioritized profit and growth over child safety” and ignored repeated warnings about exploitative content.
The 10-year-old was allegedly befriended by an adult posing as a child on the platform, offering a false emotional connection to lure her in before “sen[ding] Plaintiff graphic messages, sen[ding] her sexually explicit images of himself, and ultimately convinc[ing] Plaintiff to send him sexually explicit images of herself.”
The suit cites multiple examples of this pattern, describing instances in which children have been groomed in-game before being funneled off Roblox and onto third-party apps like Discord and Snapchat — Roblox does not allow direct image sharing between users within its main chat system.
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The lawsuit further alleges that predators often entice children on the platform by offering in-game currency Robux in exchange for explicit images or behavior — and sometimes extorting Robux in exchange for not disseminating those images, “directly tying Roblox’s profits to the sexual exploitation of children.”
“Children frequently become obsessed with purchasing or otherwise obtaining Robux to buy items for their avatars and to spend in their favorite experiences on Roblox… as a result, children often tell others, including strangers, that they will do ‘Anything for Robux,’ the complaint reads.
The 82-page complaint points to multiple examples of harmful or inappropriate content on the platform, including games modeled after strip clubs, “condo games” and games like “Public Bathroom Simulator” where avatars can simulate sexual activity.
Internal company documents cited in the filing allegedly show Roblox tracked discussions about avatar settings, including whether avatars could appear nude or display certain body modifications (including “[h]ow big a bulge” was acceptable) — but allowed those features to remain.
The complaint argues that these moderation choices directly contributed to an environment where sexually exploitative games spread unchecked.
The filing also points out that dozens of Roblox experiences referenced such disgraced figures as Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein — yet remained accessible to children despite widespread media coverage of the allegations.
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The complaint further alleges that Roblox permitted user accounts with names explicitly referring to pedophilia — like “@Igruum_minors,” “@RavpeTinyK!dsJE,” and “@EarlBrianBradley — a reference to a specific, prolific pedophile who raped and molested hundreds of children — on their platform.
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The lawsuit also accuses Roblox of refusing to adopt basic safeguards, such as requiring identity verification or parental approval for under-13 accounts.
“Roblox instead chose to allow users to create accounts without providing their name or email address — a policy that enables predators to easily create multiple anonymous accounts,” the filing alleges.
Dolman Law Group says this case is one of five similar complaints it has filed against Roblox and that it is investigating more than 300 allegations of exploitation, making it one of the largest ongoing waves of potential litigation against a tech platform in the United States.
Roblox has long promoted its use of moderation and artificial intelligence tools to keep users safe. The company frequently highlights “Sentinel,” an internal AI system designed to detect and block harmful behavior. But critics say those protections are overstated.
According to The Guardian, Sentinel and other safeguards failed to prevent the proliferation of sexually explicit content and predatory accounts.
One striking detail cited in the lawsuit is a remark from a former Roblox employee, who said the company faced a stark choice:
“You can keep your players safe, but then there would be less of them on the platform. Or, you can allow more users to join and interact with strangers, and you’ll have more revenue,” the employee said in internal communications, according to WRAL News.
For the Michigan family bringing the new suit, the stakes are deeply personal.
Their 10-year-old daughter, identified only as Jane Doe, is described in the complaint as suffering trauma after being groomed and exploited through Roblox. The lawsuit seeks damages and structural reforms to force Roblox to better protect children.
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Roblox did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest case, but in previous statements the company has said it invests heavily in safety and swiftly removes inappropriate content when identified.
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.
source: people.com/roblox-hit-with-hundreds-of-child-predator-lawsuits
