San Mateo

Lawsuit claims Roblox isn't doing enough to protect young customers

NBC Universal, Inc.

With more than 60 million users a day, gaming site Roblox is one of the most popular and fastest growing platforms in the world.

But the San Mateo company, boasting a stock market value above $25 billion, was recently hit with a lawsuit by a  parent claiming her 12-year-old daughter was exposed to a predator while playing games on their site.

The suit claims roblox doesn't do enough to protect its young customers. 

"Wherever children are online, predators are also," said Titania Jordan, who deals with kids and online concerns every day as part of security company Bark Technologies.

"Any platform, not just Roblox, not just social media, but any platform that has a messaging component, the ability to send and receive messages, media, photos, video, has the potential for risk,” said Jordan.

This kind of risk has made news in Silicon Valley lately. Both roblox and social media giant Meta now facing lawsuits claiming they're unsafe for kids.

NBC Bay Area reached out to Roblox for comment. The company issued a statement, saying, "We dispute the allegations and will respond in court ... Roblox is committed to providing a positive and safe experience for people of all ages."

Meanwhile, Jordan has advice for parents on how to keep their kids as safe as possible online saying, take advantage of all parental controls on sites like Roblox -- and keep the lines of communication open.

"It's also important to reiterate to your children that it is never their fault,” she said. “It is never their fault if they have been tricked by somebody they thought was their age and it turned out to be an adult online."

The woman who filed the lawsuit is seeking class action status, which is the ability to bring others into the suit. Bark Technologies says online safety is more important than ever today.

They estimate it only takes eight minutes for a predator to form a bond with a child. 

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