Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the popular gaming platform of prioritizing profits over the safety of children.
Paxton claimed that Roblox has “put pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children” and is “flagrantly ignoring state and federal online safety laws while deceiving parents about the dangers of its platform.”
The lawsuit alleges that Roblox misled parents about its safety features and failed to protect young users from predators. It describes the platform as a “habitual destination for child predators engaging in grooming and child sexual exploitation.” Several examples in the filing highlight cases where children were reportedly abused by predators they met through Roblox, including organized groups like “764” that used the platform to blackmail minors into sexual acts or self-harm.
Texas officials also pointed to a report from Hindenburg Research last year that described Roblox as an “X-rated pedophile hellscape” full of explicit and violent content. The suit claims Roblox only began improving parental controls after facing multiple lawsuits and public pressure.
Other states have taken similar actions. Louisiana and Kentucky have already filed lawsuits against Roblox, describing it as a space where “child predators thrive,” while Florida’s Attorney General recently subpoenaed the company. Families of victims have also filed individual lawsuits accusing Roblox of failing to protect their children.
In response, Eric Porterfield, Roblox’s Senior Director of Policy Communications, told The Verge that the lawsuit is based on “misrepresentations and sensationalized claims.” He added that Roblox has implemented “over 145 safety measures” this year alone and continues to improve protections for young users.
Roblox currently has more than 111 million daily active users, many of them children. The company recently introduced age verification using government IDs and facial scans, and it is developing an AI system to detect potential child endangerment. Similar measures are being adopted by other online platforms like Discord, which has also faced lawsuits involving child exploitation.
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Despite these efforts, Roblox may still face a significant legal challenge due to Section 230, a federal law that often shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content. Whether Texas can overcome that protection remains to be seen.
