Safety Problems With Roblox and Discord Endangered Young Girl: Lawsuit

Adult man from Australia using Roblox persuaded a 9-year-old girl to send pictures of her face through Discord in preparation for a meeting.

According to allegations raised in a recently filed lawsuit against Roblox and Discord, a sexual predator groomed a 9-year-old girl on the Roblox gaming platform, then attempted to traffic the child on the Discord messaging app, which her mother says was only possible due to both platforms’ recklessly lax safety measures.

The mother, identified under the alias Mary Doe, filed the complaint (PDF) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on September 9, indicating that it was the FBI, not the platforms, which intervened to stop what could have been grave harm to her daughter, identified as Jane Doe.

Roblox is a video game construction set that first premiered in 2006, which allows users to build their own games, customize their avatars, interact with other players, make in-game purchases and explore other players’ customized worlds and games.

However, over the past year there has been a flood of reports of children being groomed and sexually exploited through the Roblox platform, with some even abducted and raped as a result. Parents, advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies have warned that the game’s open chat features and lack of effective moderation have created a dangerous environment for young users.

Discord, which was first released in May 2015, is an instant messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, originally conceived as a way for participants in online multiplayer games to communicate with one another by voice. However, since then it has grown into a major social media platform employed for a wide variety of reasons.

While there are currently more than 300 Roblox child exploitation lawsuits filed in courts nationwide, the vast majority of them have been aimed at the lack of child safety features on Roblox alone.

According to the lawsuit, the daughter was just 8 years old when she started playing on Roblox, after her mother saw numerous statements from the website that it was safe and designed for children.

By the time she was nine, the little girl was being groomed by a sexual predator on Roblox, who convinced her to set up an account on Discord so they could communicate privately. Her mother’s complaint notes that the 9-year-old was able to create a Discord account, despite the site supposedly requiring her to be 13 or older.

Her mother discovered the relationship and the use of Discord, as well as sexual content sent by the adult user, and banned her daughter from using either app. The daughter then found a way to use the apps undetected for another six months, as the grooming continued and the content and messages became more explicit.

Mary Doe only found out about the continuing relationship when she was informed that her daughter was in imminent danger by the FBI and local law enforcement.

“When the authorities alerted Plaintiff’s school, the school contacted Plaintiff’s mother to tell her that Plaintiff was having an inappropriate relationship with an adult man who had arranged to meet with her in-person.”

– Mary Doe et al v. Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc.

Law enforcement was able to track down and identify the person as an adult male who lives in Australia. He had asked the girl for several clear pictures of her face to help identify her when they met in the near future.

The lawsuit argues that both Roblox and Discord have recklessly weak safety features that do almost nothing to prevent sexual predators from targeting children on their platforms, despite advertising to the contrary.

The mother presents claims of fraudulent concealment and misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, negligence, negligence – failure to warn, negligence – unreasonable design, negligent undertaking, strict liability – design defect, and strict liability – failure to warn.

Roblox Child Exploitation Lawsuits

The lawsuit came just as Roblox Corporation announced that new age verification technology will be implemented on the platform this year.

However, that does not resolve the hundreds of Roblox lawsuits already filed by families claiming that the company ignored repeated warnings about grooming and sextortion, while continuing to promote Roblox as safe for children.

Distraught parents have often found out, too late, that their children were approached by predators through private chats, friend requests and in-game tools used to build trust with young users. Sexual predators often offer Robux, an in-game currency, as payment for explicit images or to entice young users into conversations, with some noting that Roblox actually profits from the abusive behavior.

Individuals who believe they or their children were harmed through Roblox can have their situation reviewed by an Roblox lawyer to see if they qualify for a lawsuit or potential settlement. Case evaluations are confidential, and lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning no fees or costs are charged unless compensation is secured.