Kentucky sued Robloxalleging that children are accessing violent simulation games on the popular gaming platform, including depictions of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, just weeks after the conservative activist was murdered.
In the 68-page complaint filed Tuesday in Madison Circuit Court in Madison County, the state attorney general’s office alleges that it is not uncommon for the platform’s more than 85 million daily active players to find themselves in violent or sexual situations, with few safeguards put in place by Roblox.
“For years, Roblox ignored this crisis so it could continue to turn a profit. Our responsibility is to protect Kentucky’s children from online exploitation by these predators and the companies like Roblox that knowingly facilitate it,” Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the platform as a “playground for predators.”
The complaint alleges that Roblox knowingly enabled and facilitated the sexual exploitation and abuse of children across the United States, including in Kentucky. The in-game currency, known as “Robux,” is allegedly used by predators to lure children into dangerous situations, according to court documents. Several examples cited in the lawsuit include games where Roblox Avatars engaged in simulated sexual activity in addition to Kirk’s graphic filming.
“We have filed a lawsuit to come after Roblox with the full force of the law. My message to parents: Get your kids off Roblox,” Attorney General Russell Coleman said in an article on X.
Roblox said in a statement to CBS News that the lawsuit was based on “sensationalized, outdated, and out-of-context information.”
“At this time, we have not had any contact from the Attorney General’s Office regarding our platform or security features, but we welcome a direct conversation with the AG’s Office and all decision makers to ensure they have a clear understanding of everything Roblox is doing to keep users safe,” Roblox said in its emailed statement. “Keeping children safe online requires a collaborative, industry-wide effort, which we welcome.”
Roblox said it shares “the critically important goal of keeping children safe online and has years of experience working with law enforcement, child safety experts and families in pursuit of our vision of being the safest platform on the Internet.”
A CBS News investigation in August find That Roblox users can bypass safety moderations to expose children to inappropriate content, including swastikas, hate speech and graphic sexual images. Several lawsuits have been filed against the company, according to the investigation, alleging exploitative practices aimed at children, with more filed in recent weeks.
In August, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a child welfare complaint against Roblox, alleging that the platform is “overrun by harmful content and child predators.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in April that he had issued a subpoena to Roblox, while the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office recently requested proposals for legal services to investigate and potentially prosecute Roblox.
“Our children are not safe on Roblox. Predators and criminals don’t just lurk in the shadows of the platform; they have been allowed to commit their crimes in the open,” Attorney General Coleman said Tuesday.
