Snapchat, Roblox Lawsuit Filed by Adult Sexually Exploited as a Child

Lawsuits allege the platforms’ safety failures have enabled online grooming, sextortion and sexual exploitation of minors, with some claims even involving allegations of sexual assault, kidnapping and human trafficking.

A Texas woman has filed a lawsuit, alleging that design defects and inadequate safety protections on the Roblox and Snapchat platforms allowed an adult predator to groom and sexually exploit her when she was only 12 years old.

The complaint (PDF) was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on June 2, by a 19-year-old plaintiff identified only as AW-0012. It names Roblox Corporation and Snap Inc. as defendants.

AW-0012 claims the two platforms knowingly created environments that made it easy for adults to contact, manipulate and exploit children.

Roblox Child Safety Concerns

Roblox has grown into one of the world’s largest online gaming platforms, attracting millions of daily users, most of which are children and teenagers. The platform allows users to create personalized avatars, interact with others through text and voice communications, and participate in a vast library of user-generated games and experiences.

However, child safety advocates, researchers and consumer watchdog groups have increasingly raised concerns that the platform’s communication tools and social features may expose minors to online predators. Critics contend that inadequate age-verification measures and insufficient safeguards may allow adults to pose as younger users, communicate directly with children and engage in grooming behavior.

Those concerns have resulted in more than 160 Roblox sexual exploitation lawsuits being filed in federal courts across the country. The complaints generally allege that the company failed to implement reasonable protections to prevent inappropriate interactions between adults and minors, despite knowing of ongoing risks associated with the platform.

According to the lawsuits, the alleged shortcomings have contributed to incidents involving online grooming, sexual coercion, sextortion and the exchange of explicit material involving minors. Some claims also involve allegations of sexual assault, kidnapping and human trafficking linked to contacts first established through the platform.

Roblox and Snapchat Safety Allegations

In the lawsuit, AW-0012 claims she began using Roblox at about age 12 after her mother believed company marketing that claimed the online gaming platform was a safe environment for children and allowed her to play. In February 2019, the child was allegedly contacted through Roblox by an adult predator who falsely claimed to be a 13-year-old boy.

The complaint alleges the predator used Roblox’s chat features to establish trust and build an emotional connection before convincing the girl to communicate through Snapchat. Over the next year, the man allegedly groomed her through daily interactions on both platforms, gradually introducing sexual conversations, requesting explicit images and threatening to kill her if she disclosed the communications to anyone.

After gaining her trust, the predator allegedly coerced the plaintiff into sending images of herself and used Snapchat to send sexually explicit videos and photographs of himself. The filing indicates the girl eventually realized she had been communicating with an adult after receiving images depicting a bearded, bald man who clearly did not match the age and identity he had previously claimed.

The lawsuit claims Roblox and Snapchat repeatedly assured parents that their platforms were safe for children while failing to implement basic safeguards that could have prevented adult predators from accessing minors. The complaint specifically criticizes the companies for relying on self-reported ages, failing to require meaningful identity verification and allowing direct communications between adults and children.

According to the filing, Roblox and Snap prioritized user growth and engagement over child safety, despite knowing their platforms were being used by predators to locate and groom vulnerable minors. The lawsuit alleges both companies could have adopted stronger age-verification systems and other safety measures but chose not to do so.

The plaintiff claims her mother would never have allowed her to use Roblox or Snapchat had the companies disclosed the risks posed by predators on their platforms. The lawsuit further alleges that basic screening and verification measures could have prevented the predator from contacting her in the first place.

The complaint indicates AW-0012 continues to suffer severe emotional and psychological injuries from the exploitation, including anxiety, social withdrawal and academic difficulties that required an individualized education program at school. She also allegedly engaged in self-harm that resulted in extended inpatient hospitalization.

“Had Defendants implemented even the most basic system of screening or age and identity verification, as well as other commonsense safety measures, Plaintiff never would have been targeted by this predator and never would have suffered the devastating harm that she did. Plaintiff’s life has been profoundly altered as a direct result of Defendants’ conduct.”

— AW-0012 v. Roblox Corporation et al.

The case raises allegations of fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, negligence, failure to warn, unreasonable design, negligent undertaking and design defect. It seeks general, economic and special damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and medical treatment.

Roblox Sexual Exploitation Lawsuits

As the number of Roblox sexual exploitation lawsuits has grown, federal courts consolidated the claims late last year before U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in the Northern District of California, establishing a multidistrict litigation (MDL) designed to streamline discovery and other pretrial proceedings.

Judge Seeborg is expected to develop a bellwether trial process that will focus on a small group of representative cases selected for early trial dates. Those proceedings are intended to provide insight into how juries may evaluate common evidence, legal arguments and allegations that are likely to be repeated throughout the litigation.

While any bellwether verdicts would apply only to the individual cases selected for trial, the outcomes often influence settlement negotiations by helping both sides assess the risks and potential value of unresolved claims.

In an effort to move the litigation toward resolution, plaintiffs earlier this year asked the court to appoint a special master to facilitate initial settlement discussions. If productive, those negotiations could provide a pathway for children and young adults to resolve claims without waiting through years of additional litigation.

Roblox sexual exploitation lawyers continue to review potential claims on behalf of families and individuals who allege they were harmed through interactions on the platform. Case evaluations are free and confidential, and no legal fees are charged unless compensation is recovered.

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