Louisiana AG files lawsuit against gaming platform Roblox: See why

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Various law enforcement representatives joined Attorney General Liz Murrill to talk about what is being done to combat online predators in Louisiana.

During a news conference, Murrill announced a lawsuit against the popular gaming platform, Roblox. She alleges the platform facilitates the distribution of child sexual abuse material and exploits Louisiana children.

“Due to Roblox’s lack of safety protocols, it endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana. 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,” said Murrill.

A recent report revealed a group of 3,334 members openly trading child pornography and soliciting sexual acts from minors, she shared. Of the company’s 82 million users, about 56% are under the age of 17.

“The end result is that Defendant, through its failure to implement adequate safety features and its failure to provide notice of the danger, provides the perfect place for pedophiles.” the lawsuit said.

Murrill is seeking a permanent injunction to prohibit them from engaging in any activity in violation of the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act, ban Roblox from claiming it has enough safety measures, face all legal penalties, and make Roblox pay restitution to the state.

Read the full lawsuit here.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard shared a few arrest statistics about child predators in the parish.

“We’ve only been involved with this task force for two years, and my stats alone are almost 170 arrests, and we have identified 70 victims that were unknown to law enforcement,” said Ard.

In Livingston Parish, deputies conducted a search warrant of a home and found a suspect in possession of child sexual abuse material. During the time of the arrest, the suspect was actively on Roblox. The suspect had a voice-changing device to sound like a “young female, allegedly for the purpose of luring and sexually exploiting minor users of the platform.”

“There is no justification for this,” said Murrill. “Parents need to be involved… Your child is not safe when they have that phone in their hand.”

Other speakers included East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux and Supervisory Special Agent David Ferris, commander of the Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.

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