Louisiana AG accuses Roblox of enabling child predators in lawsuit

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – An online platform that is popular with youth and has been accused of lax security to protect its young users from sexual predators is being sued by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.

AG Murrill announced on Thursday afternoon that her office is taking legal action against the number one gaming site for children and teens, Roblox. The lawsuit was filed in Louisiana’s 21st Judicial District and aims to prove three critical points of how the platform endangers youth.

“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 posed to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill.

The suit alleges the following:

• Roblox has and continues to facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material and the sexual exploitation of Louisiana’s children.
• Knowingly and intentionally fails to implement basic safety controls to protect child users from predators.
• Knowingly and intentionally fails to provide notice to parents and child users of its dangers.

For those unfamiliar with Roblox, it is an interactive gaming platform used by nearly 82 million active users per day. The platform, available through web browsers and an app, launched in 2006 and offers its users a range of experiences, including real-life interactions and socializing. It allows and encourages them to communicate with one another in real-time.

Roblox users breakdown by age:

• 20% of users are under 9 years of age
• 20% are 9-12
• 16% are 13-16
•  44% are 17 years of age or older 

The platform does not have a minimum age and does not require age verification or parental permission. Users have access to millions of games that encapsulate a vast world of play possibilities, including sports, role-playing, fashion, and comedy.

According to Murrill’s announcement, “Other games which have existed on the platform, including Escape to Epstein Island, Diddy Party, and Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe, are not as innocent. These games and others are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape.”

This is not the first lawsuit accusing Roblox of being a playground for pedophiles and other unsavory characters. In 2024, Wired, German publication Der Spiegel, Recorder, and the Washington Post reported on a group that calls itself the 764, led by a teen ringleader, Bradley Cadenhead, who is now an inmate at TDCJ Estelle Unit after he was found guilty of multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute child pornography and sentenced in 2023.

In the lawsuit filed by the Louisiana AG, they cited a search warrant executed by law enforcement in Livingston Parish at the home of a person suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement said the suspect was active on the Roblox platform at the time of the arrest. “Notably, the individual was in possession of and had employed voice-altering technology designed to mimic the voice of a young female, allegedly for the purpose of luring and sexually exploiting minor users of the platform,” Murrill said.

The State of Louisiana is seeking the court to issue permanent injunctions, including Roblox paying restitution to the state, attorneys’ fees, civil penalties, and damages as allowed by law, as well as other actions related to safety features and violating the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act.