Two new lawsuits accuse Roblox of failing to protect girls from online predators

• One lawsuit alleges a predator attempted to arrange an in-person meeting.
• The second alleges a predator groomed a teenager into a romantic relationship and encouraged her to run away.
• The cases follow an FTC complaint from advocacy groups over child safety concerns.

Two new lawsuits have been filed against Roblox, alleging that adult predators used the platform to groom two teenage girls in separate cases.

According to GamesBeat, the complaints were filed by Anapol Weiss in the US District Court for the Northern District of California and involve an 18-year-old plaintiff from Oregon, who says she was groomed from age 8, and a 16-year-old plaintiff from Louisiana, who says she was groomed at age 14.

The lawsuits come after advocacy groups asked the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate Roblox over alleged unfair and deceptive practices affecting children. 

New allegations

According to the Louisiana complaint, an adult predator posed as a teenager and allegedly groomed the girl through Roblox and Snapchat. 

The lawsuit claims he sent sexually explicit images and videos, coerced the teenager into sending similar material, and attempted to arrange an in-person meeting at her home.

The Oregon complaint alleges an adult predator claimed to be the same age as the girl before grooming her into what the lawsuit describes as a romantic relationship. 

The complaint says he convinced her to run away with him before her mother discovered their messages and contacted law enforcement. The investigation reportedly continued for years before authorities concluded the suspect could not be located and was believed to be living outside the United States.

Last month, Roblox introduced its new Roblox Kids and Roblox Select account types globally, adding stricter age-based safety settings, parental controls and additional review requirements for eligible experiences.