Gaming Giants Under Fire: Roblox and Discord Face Lawsuit Over Child Safety Concerns

The San Francisco Bay Area tech companies Roblox and Discord have been sued for allegedly facilitating child exploitation and abuse. This came after a 13-year-old (the plaintiff) child was allegedly being targeted by an online child predator using the platform. Roblox is one of the most popular Children’s gaming platforms.

This is making many parents furious, that the platforms were not doing enough to protect kids from predators who seek to do them harm. They want children to be able to play their favorite games and interact with their peers safely on the platform.

The lawsuit, which was electronically filed at San Mateo County Superior Court, alleges that Roblox – the Children’s video gaming platform, and Discord – a messaging platform – were lacking in safety standards, which led to the minor sending sexually explicit photos in exchange for in-game Roblox currency.

The lawsuit claims that

“With their pervasive misrepresentations about safety, Defendants lure parents into
believing their apps are appropriate places for children to play. In reality, and as Defendants well
know, the design of their apps makes children easy prey for pedophiles. They allow adult users to
identify and readily initiate conversations with children, then manipulate the trust of those children,
including by gifting them Robux, Roblox’s valuable online currency.”

The main thrust was that the platform “allowed” adults to identify and initiate conversations with minors. And then offering them gifts on Discord in exchange for exploitative sexually explicit photos of the kids.

There were even instances allegedly where such conversations were taken offline and progressed to in-person meetings. Adding that the platforms have not put enough guardrails on the ground to prevent such from happening.

“On Discord, these pedophiles are able to coerce the children into sending sexually explicit images or meeting in person. There are steps Roblox and Discord could take to protect children and make their apps
safer. But time and again they have refused to invest in basic safety features to protect against
exactly the kind of exploitation Plaintiff suffered”

When asked for comments on the lawsuit, the company’s representative said they cannot reply on a pending litigation but that they do however take the safety of its community very seriously.

We are constantly innovating and launching new safety features including more than 40 safety features and policies in 2024,”

The plaintiff, a 13-year-old child, allegedly joined Roblox and then Discord in 2023, at the behest of his father, who at the time believed that the platforms were safe for children. The child claimed to its surprise, an unsolicited $10 gift and message from the predator, soliciting for nude pictures. After first declining, the child later sent a shower video for the $10 gift.

Things quickly escalated when the predator offered more gifts in exchange for more explicit photos and videos. The child was banned from Discord when he attempted to send of photo of his buttocks through the platform.

Worse, was the fact that the predator was already in communication with the child outside the platform via email and text. He had the child disclose his home address and had arranged a meeting with him in person. He threatened to harm the child if he failed to show up at his prescribed meeting place. Luckily, the parents of the child later discovered the threats and then reported them to the police.

This isn’t just one isolated incident. It is believed that the alleged predator exploited at least 26 other children. The lawsuit represents countless children who have suffered because of what we believe are Roblox and Discord’s misleading claims and fundamentally flawed app designs. The trauma these young victims experience can be profound and long-lasting.

The scale of the problem is enormous, as even Roblox appears in searches on popular adult sites. The trading of gifts is a big allure to unsuspecting children.

As for the alleged predator – Sebastian Romero – is not named in the lawsuit, but had his home raided by the police and is being charged with sexual extortion, creating child sexual abuse material and other crimes.

The Plaintiff is asking for an undisclosed amount in damages from Roblox and Discord. His family has sold their house and moved of out San Francisco out of fear for their safety and to deal with the emotional and psychological hurt the abuse has caused the plaintiff.

This is not the first time Roblox has dealt with a lawsuit for safety concerns of the children who use their platform. In a 2022 case in San Francisco court, which also alleged Roblox and Discord haven’t done enough to protect minors. Parents also sued Roblox in San Diego court in 2023 and in San Francisco court last year.