Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office is opening a civil lawsuit against Roblox, alleging the popular gaming company deceives parents about the safety of its platform in protecting children against sexually explicit material from child predators.
Uthmeier's suit was filed in Baker County Circuit Court on Thursday, December 11.
“As a father of three little ones and as Florida’s Attorney General, my number one priority is simple: to protect our kids," Uthmeier said in a video statement. “Roblox broke the trust of parents, and my office will make sure they answer for it.”
The lawsuit follows a criminal investigation against Roblox filed in October. Uthmeier added he was willing to use "all tools in the toolbox" to hold the platform accountable.
Uthmeier announced his initial investigation during an appearance on Fox & Friends in October.
"Our initial inquiry, as well as arrests and convictions across the state, have shown that Roblox is a breeding ground for child predators to get on the platform, solicit information, locations, and ultimately abuse kids," Uthmeier said at the time.
"We will go after child predators with everything we've got, and we're going to hold Roblox accountable," Uthmeier continued. "We believe that they have knowingly allowed their platform to be used in this way."
Roblox was launched in 2006. According to multiple reports, the platform has around 380 million monthly active users and 100 to 150 million daily users, including many children.
Uthmeier issued a civil inquiry against Roblox in April, which kick-started the criminal investigation.
In a statement provided to Fox 35 Orlando, following recent lawsuits, Roblox said its "vision is to be the safest place on the internet." "While no system is perfect, this year alone we have made over 100 safety enhancements to help protect our users and empower parents and caregivers with greater control and visibility," they added.
