Florida AG accuses Roblox of facilitating child predators | WORLD
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Florida AG accuses Roblox of facilitating child predators


Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier at a meeting Associated Press / Photo by Rebecca Blackwell, File

Florida AG accuses Roblox of facilitating child predators

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued criminal subpoenas on Monday against the online children’s gaming platform, Roblox, according to a statement from his office. The subpoenas kicked off an investigation to determine if the platform adequately protects children from online predators.

Roblox is a digital, interactive game designed to be an educational platform for children to explore and learn new concepts in a virtual world with cartoon avatars. The platform includes direct messaging and voice chatting between users. Uthmeier alleged that the platform knowingly failed to enact safety measures while continuing to market the game as safe for young users.

Roblox profited off kids while serving as a breeding ground for child predators, he claimed in a Monday video message. He insisted that the platform must be held accountable for enabling child abuse. These criminal subpoenas will allow prosecutors to gather information from Roblox, including evidence of predatory behaviors by adult users against children, he said.

How do predators use Roblox to target kids? Uthmeier’s office cited previous investigations showing that sexual predators used Roblox to contact and groom minors. Allegations include failure to accurately verify user ages and allowing sexually explicit content to slip through platform filters. The release also cited reports of predators paying minors with the in-game currency, Robux, to send sexually explicit images of themselves. Additional reports showed the company knowingly failed to report child victimization incidents to authorities, the release added. WORLD reached out to Roblox for comment and had not received any response as of Tuesday evening.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit against Roblox in August with similar accusations. Roblox facilitated the sexual exploitation of children and knowingly failed to implement safety protocols against predators, Murrill’s office claimed. The platform is overrun with harmful content and dangerous predators because Roblox prioritizes platform growth over child safety, Murrill alleged.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report on a mother suing Roblox, alleging that her 15-year-old son’s suicide came after he suffered sexual abuse on the platform.


Christina Grube

Christina Grube is a graduate of the World Journalism Institute.


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