Roblox Faces Growing Wave of Child Safety Lawsuits

If you’re a gamer or a parent of a child (or adult) gamer, you’ve likely heard of Roblox. Roblox was released in 2006 but became popular in the late 2010s, escalating in popularity even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As of February 2025, Roblox reported approximately 85.3 million daily active users, including about half of all American children under age 16. It’s been reported that by Q2 of 2025, Roblox had more than 100 million daily active users. 

Roblox is not just a massive gaming platform—it’s a social and developmental space where young users dominate. This raises unique challenges around safety, content moderation, and child protection, which are continually addressed by lawsuits and safety reforms.

The lawsuits today could be just the tip of the iceberg for Roblox and legal liability; only time will tell. But if you or your child are playing these games, keep reading—you might discover new ways that your child could be at risk, or what your legal options are if harm has already happened.

How does Roblox work?

Roblox is an online game platform and creation system developed by Roblox Corporation. Users—adult hobbyists, children, and professional developers—build and share interactive “experiences” using the Roblox Studio engine and the Lua scripting language. It’s free to play, but players may make optional purchases using Roblox’s virtual currency, Robux. There’s also a developer exchange where creators can convert Robux into real money.

The games on the Roblox platform allow users to create characters and interact in virtual worlds. They can engage in activities like playing “house” or even more adult behaviors.

There are millions of user-created games; Roblox may be used on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Xbox, and VR devices.

What are the lawsuits against Roblox?

There are a variety of lawsuits pending against Roblox.

Child predation and sexual exploitation

A lawsuit was filed in August 2025 on behalf of a 12-year-old New York girl alleging that inadequate safety controls on Roblox enabled grooming and sexual harm. The complaint alleges “gross negligence” and that the platform intentionally marketed itself as safe for children, despite known risks. 

In a similar case, the family of a 10-year-old Michigan child claims Roblox facilitated predators because of poor safety systems. Multiple cases now emphasize that the platform is motivated by profit at the cost of child protection. 

In yet another case in Missouri, a family claims their 15-year-old was sexually exploited by a predator operating on Roblox.

Mass grooming

There are multiple lawsuits against Roblox pending in states including Georgia, Texas, and California. They allege grooming, coercion into explicit content, and failure in moderation or age verification.

Violation of consumer protection laws

Specifically, these allegations relate to allowing a dangerous environment for children. The Louisiana attorney general filed a lawsuit against Roblox, claiming it creates a “perfect place for pedophiles” by ignoring the vital safety measures and misleading users. This lawsuit seeks an injunction under the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Harmful and extremist content

Investigations have shown that Roblox hosts hate speech, neo-Nazi imagery, and graphic simulations of mass shootings. Roblox faces lawsuits for inadequate content moderation.

Addiction and design liability claims

Complaints against Roblox allege that the platform engineered addictive mechanics. Some of the lawsuits argue mental, physical, and financial harm from excessive play. Many victims report signs like withdrawal, anxiety, and declining school performance.

Legal causes of action in Roblox lawsuits

1. Negligence or gross negligence

Allegations of negligence are that Roblox failed to use reasonable care in:

• Moderating content
• Verifying users’ ages
• Protecting children from foreseeable harm like grooming, exploitation, and exposure to explicit content

For example, some parents’ claims are that the platform is a “hunting ground” for predators because of inadequate safeguards. The platform has a duty of care to child users; Roblox has breached their duty by poor moderation or lax safety controls that caused harm to the children.

2. Product liability, design defect

Cases allege that Roblox features such as chat tools, avatars, currency systems, and game design are unreasonably dangerous by design. 

These are related to the addiction claims that Roblox targeted minors through dopamine-driven reward loops and gambling-like Robux systems. Lawyers and parents allege that Roblox’ unsafe designs allow minors to be solicited or trafficked.

“Ever wonder why it’s so hard to put down your phone? Social media is designed to work like a slot machine—unpredictable rewards that keep you coming back for more. Every like, comment, or notification triggers the brain’s reward system, releasing a feel-good chemical called dopamine. It’s the same chemical involved in addiction to substances like heroin. That little rush of pleasure you feel when someone likes your post? That’s dopamine doing its thing.

But here’s the catch: the effect is short-lived. Once the buzz wears off, your brain starts looking for the next hit—so you check your phone again. Over time, your brain actually begins to rewire itself to expect those dopamine spikes, making normal, offline experiences feel less rewarding by comparison. That’s why some people feel low or restless after logging off social media.” — Source: Surgeon General Calls for Warning Labels on Social Media to Protect Adolescents' Mental Health

3. Product liability, failure to warn/marketing defect

Class action lawsuits allege that Roblox markets itself as “safe” for children, though it fails to warn parents about the risks of grooming, exploitation, and addiction. They claim Roblox intentionally promotes itself as kid-friendly, despite that the platform knows the risks.

4. Consumer protection and fraud

As mentioned above, Roblox is alleged to have violated state-level unfair trade practice laws by engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices by advertising safety and child-friendliness while failing to deliver.

5. Sexual exploitation and trafficking

Lawsuits claim Roblox facilitated child sex exploitation by predators who groomed children through the platform. This, if true, would violate the Federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) civil liability provisions and state equivalents for civil sexual exploitation claims.

6. Privacy and data claims

Allegations include concerns about Roblox collecting and monetizing children’s data, which violates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Although this is not front and center like the safety claims, this is a possible angle for lawsuits based on prior litigation against other platforms.

What are likely defenses for Roblox?

If you’re considering becoming a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Roblox, it’s worth knowing the potential defenses the company might present.

1. Section 230 immunity

“Section 230” refers to the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230). This is a landmark U.S. law that generally shields online platforms from being held legally responsible for content created by their users. In simple terms, it says that websites, apps, and social media companies are not treated as the “publisher or speaker” of third-party posts, messages, or videos, so they usually cannot be sued for defamation, negligence, or harm caused by that content. At the same time, Section 230 allows platforms to moderate or remove objectionable material without losing that immunity. Courts have interpreted it broadly, making it a powerful defense for tech companies, though recent cases and legislative proposals are testing its limits—especially when plaintiffs frame claims as product design defects rather than content moderation failures.

Roblox might argue it cannot be held liable as the “publisher” of third-party content, such as predators’ messages or user-generated games. However, plaintiffs will counter by framing suits as design defect or product liability, rather than content-moderation disputes (similar to the Snapchat “Speed Filter” case that survived § 230).

2. Lack of proximate cause

The company might defend itself by claiming the predators caused the harm, not Roblox itself. Since Roblox didn’t commit the wrongful acts directly, its lawyers might argue that it’s not liable. However, plaintiffs might assert that Roblox’s unsafe design and failure to act created conditions that directly contributed to injury to children.

3. Assumption of risk and parent supervision

Assumption of risk is a legal defense theory that the plaintiff (injured person) cannot recover damages from a negligent defendant (the party that caused the injury) because the plaintiff voluntarily accepted risk from the activity. This is a common defense for injuries related to sports, extreme recreation activities (such as scuba diving, skydiving, handling fireworks, etc.) and other things that might be considered abnormally dangerous. By participating in the activity—knowing it’s dangerous—the injured person acknowledges that there’s a risk of getting hurt and chooses to partake in the activity anyway.

Roblox might also argue that the parent is responsible for monitoring their children’s activity online, and that Roblox offers parental control tools… if the parents choose to use them.

4. First Amendment and free speech arguments

Roblox could argue that moderation decisions in extremist/harmful content lawsuits are protected speech, and it can’t be compelled to suppress lawful (though offensive) content.

What happens next for Roblox?

Roblox might be at a crossroads—an inflection point. Lawsuits, policy shifts, and reputation pressure are mounting. 

There could be new lawsuits filed. As recently as August 29, 2025, New York State Police investigated a threat made toward a student through Roblox. Police said they received information about the threat, which was later found to be false. Even so, police in New York are reminding parents to be mindful and attentive to their children’s online activity. They encourage changing security settings on Roblox to safeguard children’s communication with strangers online, along with educating children about internet safety and reporting suspicious activity. 

However, with overlapping claims and similar legal theories (for example, negligence, design defects, and similar), the courts might consolidate the claims or encourage settlements. There could be large settlements upcoming, particularly depending on the severity and clarity of the claims. 

The bottom line for you—whether you’re a parent of a child who uses Roblox or you’re a Roblox gamer, yourself—is that it’s not a simple, risk-free gaming platform. There are very real risks, but pending lawsuits might compel the platform to create stronger safeties.

If you’ve been a victim of injury caused—even indirectly—by Roblox, or if you’re the parent of a child victimized through the platform, legal help is available. Contact a personal injury lawyer near you for guidance to navigate this complicated legal landscape.