SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
A Snohomish County family has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corporation and Discord, Inc., accusing the popular online platforms of enabling the sexual exploitation of a teenage girl.
Filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the complaint from Dolman Law Group alleges the tech companies created “breeding grounds for predators” and prioritized profit over child safety. The suit was filed on behalf of a now 14-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe, and her father.
Suit alleges platforms enabled grooming of teen
According to the complaint, the girl was an active user of both Roblox and Discord when she was allegedly groomed by a man posing as another child. The lawsuit claims the predator first contacted her through Roblox before encouraging her to continue conversations on Discord, where he allegedly coerced her into sending explicit images of herself.
“This case against Roblox is a terrifying reminder of the world we live in, where capitalist greed far outweighs humanity,” said Matthew Dolman, principal attorney for Dolman Law Group. “Without forcing systemic change, Roblox will continue to operate anarchically.”
The lawsuit further claims Roblox and Discord misled parents into believing their platforms were safe for children, while their design and moderation practices made minors “easy and accessible prey.” Dolman Law Group said its investigation found Roblox experiences referencing disturbing themes, including ones titled “JeffEpsteinSupporter” and “Escape to Epstein Island.”
The complaint seeks unspecified damages, alleging the teen continues to suffer from anxiety, shame, and loss of safety following the alleged exploitation.
While Roblox and Discord have not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit, on its website, Roblox provides guidance for users, including information on parental controls, moderation, and safety. The company also provides a parent’s guide, detailing civility and well-being for users.
Discord also provides safety and privacy guidance for users and parents on its website.
The suit was filed in the Northern District of California, where Roblox and Discord are headquartered.
In a statement, a Discord spokesperson said, “Discord is deeply committed to safety, and we require all users to be at least 13 to use our platform. We use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates our policies. We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet.”
In a statement, a Roblox spokesperson said, “We are deeply troubled by any incident that endangers our users. Roblox’s vision is to be the safest platform on the internet, which is why our policies are purposely stricter than those found on many other platforms. We limit chat for younger users, don’t allow the sharing of external images and have filters designed to block the sharing of personal information. We are continually innovating and investing in safety. While no system is perfect, this year alone we have made over 145 safety enhancements to help protect our users and empower parents and caregivers with greater control and visibility.
We also understand that this is an industry-wide issue, and we are working to develop industry-wide standards and solutions focused on keeping children safe online. For instance, Roblox has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication and soon will require facial age estimation for all Roblox users who access our communications features. Roblox is also a founding member of the Tech Coalition’s Lantern project and the Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST). We partner with law enforcement and leading child safety and mental health organizations worldwide to combat the sexual exploitation of children.”
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