A Schenectady County woman is suing the computer game Roblox, claiming that the online platform allowed a sexual predator to target her 12-year-old daughter.
The game allows people to create characters and interact in virtual worlds. They can also play games and engage in activities like playing house or even more adult behaviors.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Northern California, alleges that the girl was an avid user of the app for many years. She used it for entertainment and social interaction. She was targeted by a predator who posed as a fellow child and built a relationship with her. He sent graphic messages describing sexual acts he wanted to do on her and explicit images, according to court documents.
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In response to his persistence, the girl sent explicit images she found on the internet.
Her mother said that her daughter has experienced emotional trauma and psychological trauma.
The woman said that Roblox should have done a better job of screening users on its platform.
“Far from creating a safe place for children, Roblox designed, built, and maintains a toxic environment that has enabled obscene material to flourish and, worse, enables predatory pedophiles to hunt, groom, and sexually exploit children. What Roblox represents as a safe, appropriate space for children is, in fact, a digital and real-life nightmare for kids,” court documents said.
The lawsuit said there have been reports of explicit activities including children’s avatars being raped by other characters.
The plaintiff claims that the computer game company did not put in explicit safety features such as age restrictions or requiring a name or email address to sign up, which would have limited the ability to create anonymous accounts.
She said that the negative effect on these games is “devastating.”
“Playing video games with explicit sexual content normalizes exploitative and predatory behavior, blurring the lines of what is acceptable in real life. This is particularly harmful for children, who are still developing their understanding of social norms and morality,” the lawsuit said. “When such behavior is depicted as humorous, exciting, or rewarded within a game, young players can internalize the idea that harassment or sexual exploitation is harmless or even acceptable.”
The plaintiff is represented by the Dolman Group of Florida. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
Roblox released the following statement in response to NewsChannel 13’s request for comment:
“We are deeply troubled by any incident that endangers our users, and safety is a top priority. We dedicate substantial resources, including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours. While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing, and prohibiting sexual conversations. We also partner with law enforcement and leading child safety organizations worldwide to combat the sexual exploitation of children.”
In addition, the company said there are resources available at roblox.com/familycenter to parents to learn about parental controls.
Dan Levy is working on this story and will have reaction on air and online.
