By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) -Roblox has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who on Thursday accused the online gaming platform of deceiving parents about the safety risks it poses to children.
Paxton joined the attorneys general of Kentucky and Louisiana, as well as many private plaintiffs, who have alleged that Roblox's platform has become a haven for child predators and sexual exploitation.
Some other online platforms face similar claims, and Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against ByteDance's
TikTok in January.
"We cannot allow platforms like Roblox to continue operating as digital playgrounds for predators," Paxton said in a statement.
In response, Roblox said it has strong protocols to remove bad actors and protect users, which include controls that let parents restrict how their children communicate and access content.
The San Mateo, California-based company also said it doesn't let users share images and works closely with law enforcement.
"We share Attorney General Paxton's commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online," the company said. "We are disappointed that, rather than working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG has chosen to file a lawsuit based on misrepresentations and sensationalized claims."
In an October 30 regulatory filing, Roblox said it averaged 151.5 million daily active users in the third quarter, of whom 83% were outside the United States and Canada.
Forty percent of daily active users were under age 13 in 2024, Roblox said.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)
