Roblox loses bid to halt Los Angeles County child safety lawsuit

• The judge ruled Roblox's age verification practices are not protected by Section 230 or the First Amendment.
• Roblox has introduced nationwide changes including facial age checks and age-based accounts.
• Arkansas has filed a similar public nuisance lawsuit against Roblox and Discord.

A Los Angeles County lawsuit accusing Roblox of failing to protect young users from online predators and sexual exploitation will move forward after a judge rejected the company's bid to dismiss the case.

As reported by Reuters, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dean Kitchens ruled that neither federal law nor the US Constitution's First Amendment protections shield Roblox from the county's claims. 

The lawsuit alleges Roblox does little to verify users' ages, allowing children and adults to interact with limited oversight.

Lawsuit continues

Kitchens found that claims concerning Roblox's age verification practices are not barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act because they do not concern third-party posts on the platform. 

He also ruled that Roblox's decisions around age verification are not expressive features protected by the First Amendment.

Los Angeles County filed the lawsuit in February, alleging Roblox contributed to an increase in child sex trafficking and exploitation, while misleading consumers about its safety and creating a public nuisance.

Roblox has since announced nationwide changes to how children and teens use the platform, including facial age checks for chat access, age-based accounts and expanded parental controls.

The case follows similar legal action from Arkansas, which filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Roblox and Discord in June. Roblox has also settled investigations by Alabama, West Virginia and Nevada for more than $30 million, alongside changes to children's access to gaming and chat functions.