Texas Sues Roblox for Child Endangerment, Joining 'Playground for Predators' Lawsuit

The Legal Battle Over Roblox and Child Safety

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - In early November, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the popular gaming platform Roblox. This action marked Texas as the third state to take legal action against the company, accusing it of failing to adequately protect minors on its platform.

Roblox is an online environment where millions of user-created games exist. Players can also act as creators, designing their own games, which leads to hundreds of new games being added daily. The platform attracts users from all over the world.

It wasn’t until recently that kids could access virtually any game on the platform. Roblox began implementing a photo ID and selfie-based age verification system in 2021, but it wasn’t until September of this year that the system became more widely enforced. In addition to these measures, Roblox has introduced stronger parental controls.

“Parents can turn off voice chat and text chat, and if they indicate that the account is for a child, certain games will be blocked,” says longtime Roblox player, Trisha Oliver.

Despite these changes, Oliver believes children are still exposed to inappropriate content. “Over the years, I’ve noticed a significant decrease in quality and moderation. While Roblox claims to be a safe space for kids, you can search for certain terms and still find problematic games,” she explains.

The Verge reported in 2020 that over half of Americans under the age of 16 have a Roblox account. Oliver notes that since 2020, there has been a decline in game quality and moderation. “People can say derogatory things in voice and text chats,” she adds.

She has reported unacceptable behavior to Roblox, but feels her efforts have gone unanswered. “I’ve reported activity, and my friends have too, but nothing has come of it. It’s disheartening, and I wish more could be done,” she says.

In a statement to KWTX, Roblox emphasized its commitment to child safety. “Roblox is deeply committed to child safety. Our policies are stricter than those found on many other platforms. We work with law enforcement and continue to invest in advanced safety systems to set the gold standard in online safety for the industry.”

Sergeant Corey Powell with the Bell County Sheriff’s Office highlights the challenges law enforcement faces when protecting children online. “Technology and social media create obstacles for us, especially when it comes to safeguarding kids. By the time we realize something is wrong, it’s often too late,” he explains.

Powell also points out that platforms like Roblox can serve as gateways for kids to interact with strangers on other apps, such as Snapchat. “Teens and preteens often think they’re talking to another teen, but they end up sending photos that are used for extortion,” he says.

While law enforcement keeps track of registered offenders, Powell notes that these profiles are constantly changing. “For every one we find, there are likely many more that go undetected,” he adds.

The lawsuit against Roblox alleges that the platform exposes children to sexually explicit content and exploitation. “The Attorney General has a huge program focused on child safety. He’s trying to highlight that there is a problem and that Roblox isn’t fixing it, despite claiming to be a safe place for kids,” he explains.

Julian Martinez, the child safety coordinator for the Killeen Police Department, spends much of his time teaching parents how to navigate the ever-changing digital landscape. “The hardest part is educating families,” he says.

Martinez notes that generational gaps often make it difficult for parents to keep up with their children’s online activities. “Sometimes our kids are smarter than us. Parents give their kids devices and ask them to fix it, which shows the child is more tech-savvy. That’s not the way we should approach it.”

He often sees parents taking their children offline after encountering harmful behavior. “The first thing parents do is take them offline, which tells the child they’ll be punished for someone else’s actions,” Martinez explains.

Instead, he recommends reporting and removing harmful players. “Block the individual. It’s hard to identify or find someone who is pretending to be a child,” he says.

Oliver has distanced herself from the game due to inappropriate activity. She encourages parents to teach their children about internet safety and to monitor the games their children play. “If you're a young person, be aware of the potential consequences and tell a trusted adult if something feels wrong,” she says.

Roblox CEO David Baszucki recently addressed the lawsuits during an interview with CBS Mornings. “To those families who say their children have been harmed and are now suing, what do you mean?” asked Tony Dokoupil.

Baszucki responded by emphasizing that most of the issues mentioned are not happening on Roblox. “They’re occurring on platforms where images can be shared and longer-term communication happens,” he said.

Texas is the third state to sue Roblox, joining Louisiana and Kentucky. A California judge recently ruled that a high-profile lawsuit against Roblox must proceed publicly.

Roblox’s full statement to KWTX includes the following:

“We share Attorney General Paxton’s commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online, which is why we have implemented industry-leading protocols in an effort to protect users and remove bad actors. We are disappointed that, rather than working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG has chosen to file a lawsuit based on misrepresentations and sensationalized claims.

Roblox is deeply committed to child safety. Our policies are purposefully stricter than those found on many other platforms. We prohibit the sharing of images and videos in chat, use filters designed to block the exchange of personal information and our trained teams and automated tools continuously monitor communications to detect and remove harmful content. We have a strong record of working with law enforcement and continue to invest in advanced safety systems to set the gold standard in online safety for the industry.

We have introduced over 145 safety measures on the platform this year alone, and as a first for the industry, we recently announced our plans to require facial age checks for all users accessing chat features, which will help prevent adults from chatting with minors.”

Background Information on Roblox's Safety Measures

Roblox has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication. For more details, read this blog post.

Originally a platform for children, Roblox now has 64% of its user base aged 13 or older. Despite this, the platform has rigorous safety features built in, and its policies are stricter than those found on social networks and other user-generated content platforms.

This includes text chat filters that block inappropriate language and attempts to direct users under 13 off the platform or solicit personal information. Users under 13 cannot directly message others outside of games unless parental controls are adjusted, and direct image sharing between users is prohibited.

Roblox dedicates substantial resources to detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior. Its Community Standards set clear expectations for user behavior and define restricted experiences. The platform uses advanced AI models along with a large team of experts to monitor 24/7 for harmful content.

For inappropriate content, the Trust & Safety team takes swift action, typically within minutes, to address violative material. Accounts are removed through AI scans, user flags, and proactive monitoring. A dedicated team focuses on enforcement and swift removal.

In August, Roblox released its latest open-source model, Roblox Sentinel, an advanced AI-powered system designed to detect child endangerment interactions early for faster intervention. Human experts continue to be essential for investigating and intervening in cases detected by Sentinel.

Roblox is also a founding member of organizations focused on advancing online safety practices, including the Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST) and the Tech Coalition’s Lantern project.

Safety is critically important to families, and Roblox strives to empower parents and caregivers to ensure a safe online experience for their children. This includes a suite of easy-to-use parental controls, allowing parents to:

• Block or limit specific experiences based on content maturity ratings
• Block or report people on their child’s friends list
• See which experiences their child is spending the most time in
• Set daily screen time and spending limits

Families and caregivers can find resources detailing Roblox’s safety measures here.

(See blog posts from November 2024 and April 2025, and new safety tools for teens.)

Roblox collaborates with law enforcement, government agencies, mental health organizations, and parental advocacy groups to create resources for parents and to keep users safe on the platform. Through global outreach, Roblox has developed deep relationships with law enforcement at the international, federal, state, and local levels. For example, it maintains direct communication channels with organizations such as the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for immediate escalation of serious threats.

Roblox proactively reports potentially harmful content to NCMEC, which is the designated reporting entity for the public and electronic service providers regarding instances of suspected child sexual exploitation. In 2024, Roblox submitted 24,522 reports to NCMEC (0.12% of the 20.3 million total reports submitted to NCMEC).