Clay County family sues Roblox, alleging sexploitation after child targeted
A family in Clay County is suing popular videogame Roblox, alleging that the company operates a business that led to sexploitation of a minor.
The family, identified in court documents as 15-year-old John Doe H.M. and his guardian Jane Doe R.S., allege H.M. was targeted by a predator on the platform. In the lawsuit, they cite five counts of negligence, fraudulent concealment and misrepresentations and two counts of strict liability.
Roblox was launched in 2006 and is designed as an interactive experience, encouraging users to communicate with each other through user hubs, direct messaging and voice chat, according to court documents. Roblox’s 2023 annual report said that only 41% of the daily users were 17 or older, and 42% were under the age of 12.
According to court documents, H.M., then 13, was frequently on the app for both entertainment and social interactions and it was there that he was targeted by a male predator posing as a young girl his age, promising friendship and connection.
After building a dialogue, the two moved conversations off of Roblox and onto text. That’s when the predator allegedly sent graphic messages and sexually explicit photos of young girls. He ultimately convinced John Doe to send explicit pictures of himself.
Court documents say H.M. suffered sexual exploitation and abuse because Roblox misrepresented and deliberately concealed information about “pervasive predatory conduct” on the platform. Had that been disclosed, R.S. said in the lawsuit she would not have allowed him to use the platform without strict supervision.
The lawsuit alleges the design of the app makes it easy for pedophiles to prey on children, with no appropriate safeguards or screening. It further alleges it’s very simple to set up an account on the app and it does not require a parent to confirm the age provided by the player.
H.M. states in the suit he has suffered significant emotional distress, psychological trauma, mental anguish, loss of trust, safety, personal security and has been deprived of his normal and healthy development. His injuries are severe, ongoing and permanent, court documents state.
“(H.M.) is just one of the countless children whose lives have been devastated as a result of (Roblox’s) gross negligence and defectively designed app,” the lawsuit said.
The Clay County family is seeking monetary damages that have yet to be determined in court, nonmonetary injunctive relief and a trial by jury.
In an email, a Roblox spokesperson said Roblox is committed to helping parents and caregivers ensure safety online and have many resources available.
“We are deeply troubled by any incident that endangers our users, and safety is a top priority. We dedicate substantial resources, including advanced technology and 24/7 human moderation, to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours,” the spokesperson said.
Though no system is perfect, the spokesperson added Roblox has safeguards to restrict sharing personal information, links, user-to-user image sharing and sexual conversation. They also work with law enforcement and several child safety organizations around the world to prevent sexual exploitation.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM.
