An online gaming platform created in 2006 is under fire for allegations of negligence in protecting children from predators.
Roblox allows users to select "experiences" and play games in a virtual world. Users can create their own games and scenarios, making nearly any situation possible.
Roblox was created as a platform for children. However, adults, including child predators, are also using the platform.
Parents have voiced concerns over the chat feature, claiming it allows users from around the world to communicate with their children.
In one case, a Covington County father said his daughter was a victim of a predator. WDHN reported the father filed a lawsuit claiming his 13-year-old daughter met an adult man on the platform. The father said the man sent the girl explicit images of himself, then attempted to rape her after meeting her in person. The girl was able to get away but has suffered from mental health issues since the incident.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is suing Roblox for unfair trade practices, negligence and unjust enrichment, alleging the platform is the "perfect place for pedophiles" and claiming Roblox users can easily create accounts using fake birthdays.
"Due to Roblox's lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana," Murrill stated. "Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety. Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger poised to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home."
Murrill said in one game, users can take off their clothes and engage in sex. In one experience, a seven-year-old child was "virtually raped," Murrill alleged.
Some experiences offer violent scenarios, such as escapes from prison, strip club fights and school shooting simulators.
Last year in Florida, an infant in Escambia County was seriously injured in his foster home after police said Tara Alexis Sykes, 36, contacted her 10-year-old daughter on Roblox. The sheriff's office said Sykes instructed the child to drop the baby on the tile floor.
Sykes was arrested and charged with attempted murder while engaging in aggravated child abuse. Upon further investigation, deputies found Sykes also instructed her daughter on how to kill her foster parents by cutting their throats and burning their house down.
A 22-year-old Texas content creator spoke out about child abuse he survived after interacting with an older developer.
YouTuber Michael "Schlep" claimed that between the ages of 12 and 15, he was groomed by a Roblox developer who sent him pornography and engaged in sexual conversations with him. Schlep attempted suicide, and his mother threatened legal action against Roblox. Years later, Schlep worked with authorities to place six alleged child predators behind bars.
"There are so many predators on this platform, it is actually unbelievable," Schlep said in a video posted on X.
After Schlep went public with his allegations, Roblox served him with a cease-and-desist letter and banned him from the platform.
Roblox chief safety officer Matt Kaufman said while the company appreciates feedback, vigilante activity has evolved.
"Instead of just reporting on safety issues, vigilantes started impersonating children and actively sought to connect with adult users," Kaufman said in a statement. "Those conversations mimicked inappropriate behavior and actively encouraged other users to connect on other social media and messaging platforms-thus bypassing Roblox's own safety systems."
Kaufman said the behavior by vigilantes is against the company's terms of use.
"On multiple occasions, we've found vigilante groups holding their reports to Roblox until after they had coordinated real-life meetups and built their own social media posts," he continued. "Waiting to report to Roblox or the relevant authorities means alleged bad actors could potentially remain on the platform longer, leaving the community open to additional risk of harm."
Chris Hansen, known for his work on "To Catch a Predator" and his current show, "Takedown with Chris Hansen," confirmed he is working with Schlep on investigating activity on Roblox.
"We're going to do our best to hold them accountable," Hansen said.
State Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) introduced two bills in the 2025 legislative session to protect children on electronic devices.
Senate Bill 186 (SB 186), which was passed and signed into law, requires manufacturers of certain devices, including smartphones and tablets, to include a filter if the device is intended for use by a minor. The law also provides for liability and penalties.
Senate Bill 187 (SB 187) was not passed. It would have required app store providers to verify users' ages, affiliate minor accounts with parent accounts and obtain consent from the parent account holder. Chambliss said he will bring the bill back in the next session.
Chambliss said he isn't sure the bill's passage would have stopped issues with Roblox.
"There's no silver bullet out here that's going to stop all of this," Chambliss said.
Furthermore, Chambliss stated that lobbyists for large corporations, such as Google and Apple, have hindered the legislative process, making it more difficult to pass bills that protect children.
"There's just one way to pass the bill and a thousand ways to kill it," Chambliss explained. "So, they work all those ways."
Chambliss said the lobbyists talk with lawmakers to convince them a bill should not be passed.
"Some of them are probably legit reasons, maybe all of them are legit reasons, but the overall effect is children are being irreparably harmed, and we've got to stop it," he added.
Roblox has added content categories and now bars users under age 13 from direct messaging. In a response to Murrill's allegations, Roblox released a lengthy statement saying the company does not comment on pending litigation but addressed what they called "erroneous claims and misconceptions."
"Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue," the statement read. "No system is perfect and bad actors adapt to evade detection, including efforts to take users to other platforms, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users."
New safeguards launched in the past year include over 40 new features to protect young users and empower parents, Roblox added.
"Roblox started as a platform for children, and while 64% of the user base is now 13 or over, the platform has rigorous safety features built in, and its policies are purposely stricter than those found on social networks and other user-generated content platform," the statement continued.
Roblox's Trust & Safety Team quickly removed "Diddy experiences" for violating policy, and Roblox said that is an example of how they address violative material and accounts.
Roblox creators have not been convicted of any crime. The full statement is available online.
Roblox has nearly 82 million daily active users and more than 6.4 million experiences available.
China, Qatar, Turkey and Oman have banned Roblox.
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