Famine is declared in Gaza by the United Nations. The FBI are raiding thte home and office of a former national security advisor to Donald Trump.
A concerned parent has brought a lawsuit against the popular virtual game Roblox after her child was paid for sexual pictures in the platform’s currency.
New York Post reports the North Carolina lawsuit alleges a 10-year-old was groomed by a predatory user they first met on the platform.
Initially makingcontact with the child through Roblox, the predator began text messaging the child, eventually convincing them to send sexual images.
The mother said the game’s safety measures are not sufficient to protect children from exploitation, lacking adequate parental controls or verification processes.
While adult accounts are not allowed to communicate with users under the age of 13, Roblox also does not have any mechanisms for confirming a user’s age on sign up.
“Had Defendant disclosed the truth of what was really occurring on its app, Plaintiff’s mother would never have permitted Plaintiff to use this app without her strict supervision.”
Robux, the game's fictional currency, can be purchased with real money. Supplied / Roblox.
The lawsuit also alleges the victim was paid for the images in Robux, the game’s online currency - which Roblox encourages users to accumulate.
One quote in the filing suggests children on the platform say they will do “anything for Robux”.
Concerns about child exploitation on Roblox have been growing, with a series of similar lawsuits being filed in the last few months.
The virtual playground is being sued by the state of Louisiana for facilitating a space for predators to “thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids”.
According to Roblox’s 2023 report, 42% of the game’s users are under the age of 12.
Users on the platform can build their own games, often centring around social role-play of school, work, and family situations.
The content of these games is difficult to moderate and can be inappropriate for children.
Roblox has responded to the backlash through a spokesperson, who said the platform has safety mechanisms in place to protect its minor users.
“While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing, and prohibiting sexual conversations.”
