throbber
1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION
`Sara D. Beller (Bar No. 316210)
`sara.beller@dolmanlaw.com
`Matthew A. Dolman (pro hac vice forthcoming)
`matt@dolmanlaw.com
`R. Stanley Gipe (pro hac vice forthcoming)
`stan.gipe@dolmanlaw.com
`DOLMAN LAW GROUP
`800 N. Belcher Rd.
`Clearwater, FL 33765
`Telephone: (727) 451-6900
`Facsimile: (727) 451-6907
`
`Attorneys for Plaintiff Jane Doe N.L. and Her Next Friend Jane Doe A.L.
`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
`
`
`JANE DOE A.L., as guardian and next
`friend of minor plaintiff, JANE DOE N.L.,
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`v.
`
`ROBLOX CORPORATION,
`
`Defendant.
`Case No.:
`
`COMPLAINT
`
`(1) Fraudulent Concealment and
`Misrepresentations
`(2) Negligent Misrepresentation
`(3) Negligence – General
`(4) Negligence – Failure to Warn
`(5) Negligence – Unreasonable Design
`(6) Negligent Undertaking
`(7) Strict Liability – Design Defect
`(8) Strict Liability – Failure to Warn
`
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 1 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION i
`TABLE OF CONTENTS:
`I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1
`II. PARTIES ............................................................................................................................... 3
`A. Plaintiff ...................................................................................................................... 3
`B. Defendant .................................................................................................................. 3
`III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE ............................................................................................ 3
`IV. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS AS TO ROBLOX .................................................................. 4
`A. Roblox Offers a Gaming App for Children. .............................................................. 4
`B. Roblox Lures Parents into Letting Their Kids Use Roblox with Promises of
`Safety. ........................................................................................................................ 8
`C. In Reality, Roblox Is a Digital and Real-Life Nightmare for Children. .................. 15
`1. Roblox hosts and promotes graphic, sexually explicit content. .................. 15
`2. Roblox provides a hunting ground for child-sex predators. ........................ 23
`D. Roblox Knowingly Causes and Facilitates the Sexual Exploitation of
`Children. .................................................................................................................. 31
`1. Roblox prioritizes growth over child safety. ............................................... 31
`2. Roblox facilitates child sexual exploitation through the design of its
`app, inadequate safety features, and refusal to invest in basic safety
`protections. .................................................................................................. 36
`3. Roblox’s recent safety changes are woefully inadequate and fail to
`address years of neglect and harm caused by its app. ................................. 45
`V. PLAINTIFF-SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS .......................................................................... 51
`VI. CAUSES OF ACTION ....................................................................................................... 52
`FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION .............................................................................................. 52
`FRAUDULENT CONCEALMENT AND MISREPRESENTATIONS
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION ......................................................................................... 54
`NEGLIGENT MISREPRESENTATION
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION ............................................................................................ 55
`NEGLIGENCE – GENERAL
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 2 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION ii
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION ......................................................................................... 61
`NEGLIGENCE – FAILURE TO WARN
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`FIFTH CAUSE OF ACTION ............................................................................................. 65
`NEGLIGENCE – UNREASONABLE DESIGN
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`SIXTH CAUSE OF ACTION ............................................................................................. 68
`NEGLIGENT UNDERTAKING
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`SEVENTH CAUSE OF ACTION ...................................................................................... 70
`STRICT LIABILITY – DESIGN DEFECT
`(By Plaintiff Against Defendant)
`
`EIGHTH CAUSE OF ACTION .......................................................................................... 75
`STRICT LIABILITY – FAILURE TO WARN
`(By Plaintiff Against Each Defendant)
`
`VII. PRAYER FOR RELIEF ...................................................................................................... 78
`VIII. DEMAND FOR A JURY TRIAL ....................................................................................... 79
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 3 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 1
` Jane Doe A.L., as guardian and next friend of minor Plaintiff Jane Doe N.L. (“Plaintiff”),
`brings this action against Roblox Corporation (“Roblox” or “Defendant”) to recover damages
`arising from the severe injuries that Plaintiff suffered because of Defendant’s conduct in creating,
`designing, marketing, and distributing its mobile- and web-based application (“app”), and alleges
`as follows:
`I. INTRODUCTION
`1. This action seeks to hold Roblox accountable for recklessly and deceptively
`operating its business in a way that led to the sexual exploitation of Plaintiff. The heinous acts
`against Plaintiff were committed by a dangerous child predator whose actions were possible only
`because of the egregiously tortious conduct of Defendant.
`2. Through its pervasive patterns of misrepresentations about safety, Defendant
`portrays its app as a safe and appropriate place for children to play. In reality, and as Defendant
`well knows, the design of its app makes children easy prey for pedophiles , and Defendant had no
`appropriate safeguards to ensure that children were in fact safe or that predators were screened .
`There are steps that Defendant could have taken to protect children and to make its app safer. But
`time and again Defendant has refused to invest in basic safety features to protect against exactly
`the kind of exploitation that Plaintiff suffered.
`3. The reason for Defendant ’s unlawful conduct is simple: Defendant prioritizes
`growing the number of users of its app over child safety. As one former Roblox employee explained
`in describing the company’s approach to child safety, “You have to make a decision, right? You
`can keep your players safe, but then it would be less of them on the platform. Or you just let them
`do what they want to do. And then the numbers all look good and investors will be happy.”
`1
`Defendant’s prioritization of growth over the safety of children has devastated the lives of children
`who use its app.
`
`1 Roblox: Inflated Key Metrics for Wall Street and a Pedophile Hellscape for Kids, Hindenburg
`Research (Oct. 8, 2024), https://hindenburgresearch.com/roblox/.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 4 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 2
`4. Plaintiff was an avid user of Defendant’s app for several years. She relied heavily
`on the app for entertainment and social interaction, making her a prime target for the countless
`child predators that Defendant knew were freely roaming the app looking for vulnerable children.
`5. Plaintiff was targeted on Roblox by a predator who posed as a fellow child and
`exploited Plaintiff’s age and vulnerability to build a false emotional connection with her by
`promising friendship and connection. After capturing her trust, the predator escalated his grooming
`of Plaintiff on Roblox. Through Roblox, he transitioned their interactions to text message, wherein
`the predator coerced and manipulated Plaintiff into sending explicit images of herself, including by
`giving her Robux—the virtual currency that drives Roblox’s online economy.
`6. Plaintiff suffered this sexual exploitation and abuse as the direct result of
`Defendant’s conduct. For years, Defendant has misrepresented and deliberately concealed
`information about the pervasive predatory conduct that its app enables and facilitate s. 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. Had Defendant taken
`any steps to screen users before allowing them on the apps, Plaintiff would not have been exposed
`to the large number of predators trolling the platform. Had Defendant implemented even the most
`basic system of age and identity verification, as well as effective parental controls, Plaintiff would
`never have engaged with this predator and never been harmed.
`7. Plaintiff has suffered unimaginable harm. Her innocene has been snatched from her
`forever. Tragically, what happened to her is far from an isolated event. Indeed, Plaintiff is just one
`of countless children whose lives have been devastated as a result of Defendant’s gross negligence
`and defectively designed app This action, therefore, is not just a battle to vindicate Plaintiff’s
`rights—it is a stand against Defendant’s systemic failures to protect society’s most vulnerable from
`unthinkable harm in pursuit of financial gain over child safety.
`
`
`
`
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 5 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 3
`II. PARTIES
`A. Plaintiff
`8. Minor Plaintiff Jane Doe N.L., and her mother and next friend Jane Doe A.L., are
`citizens and residents of the State of North Carolina, with a principal place of residence in Guilford
`County.
`9. Plaintiff has suffered profound and enduring harm. This includes significant
`emotional distress, psychological trauma, and mental anguish. Plaintiff’s experiences have led to a
`loss of trust, safety, and personal security, depriving her of the opportunity for a normal and healthy
`development. The injuries s he sustained are severe, ongoing, and permanent, affecting her daily
`life and emotional health in lasting and immeasurable ways.
`10. Plaintiff never entered into a ny contract with Defendant . To the extent Defendant
`claims that Plaintiff attempted to accept an electronic terms and conditions clause by clicking
`buttons on a screen that included language that Plaintiff did not read or understand, such an
`assertion is legally erroneous, invalid, and unenforceable , including because Plaintiff disaffirms
`any such contract, including any forced arbitration clause and any delegation clause in any contract.
`B. Defendant
`11. Defendant Roblox Corporation is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of
`business in San Mateo, California. Roblox owns, operates, controls, produces, designs, maintains,
`manages, develops, tests, labels, markets, advertises, promotes, supplies, and distributes the Roblox
`app. Roblox is widely available to consumers throughout the United States.
`III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE
`12. This Court has subject-matter jurisdiction over this action under 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)
`because Plaintiff and Defendant are citizens of different states and the amount in controversy
`exceeds $75,000.
`13. This Court has personal jurisdiction over Defendant because it maintains its
`principal place of business within this District.
`14. Venue is proper here under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b) because Defendant is a resident of
`California and resides in this District.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 6 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 4
`15. Divisional Assignment. Assignment to the San Francisco Division is proper under
`Civil L.R. 3-2(c) because Roblox is headquartered in San Mateo.
`IV. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS AS TO ROBLOX
`A. Roblox Offers a Gaming App for Children.
`16. Launched in 2006, Roblox is an online gaming app that allows users to play myriad
`games, which the company refers to as “experiences.” There are currently more than 40 million
`experiences within the Roblox ecosystem. Most experiences on Roblox are created not by Roblox
`but by individuals (often Roblox users) or companies that develop their own games and make them
`available on Roblox for others to play.
`17. Roblox is easily accessible, including to children. It is free to download and play and
`is available on gaming consoles, computers, tablets, and cellular devices.
`18. Roblox is designed to be an interactive experience, allowing and encouraging users
`to communicate with each other. Gameplay interactions, user hubs, direct messaging, and voice chat
`all promote social interactions between users. Roblox’s co -founder and CEO David Baszucki has
`explained that his vision is for Roblox to bring about “the next phase of human interaction,” which
`he also has described as “a new category of human coexperience.”
`2 Roblox has similarly explained
`that it “operates a human co-experience platform . . . where users interact with each other to explore
`and develop immersive, user-generated, 3D experiences.”3
`19. Roblox designed its app for children. Roblox has marketed its app not only as the
`“#1 gaming site for kids and teens”4 but also as an educational experience for young users. Roblox
`claims that it provides “new gateways into learning” —from “chemistry to physics to robotics and
`more, Roblox experiences bring concepts to life in ways that immerse learners and motivate
`
`2 David Baszucki, Co-founder and CEO of Roblox, The CEO of Roblox on Scaling Community-
`Sourced Innovation, Har. Bus. Rev., The Magazine, (Mar-Apr 2022), https://hbr.org/2022/03/the-
`ceo-of-roblox-on-scaling-community-sourced-innovation.
`3 Roblox Corp., Quarterly Report (Form 10-Q) (Mar. 13, 2021).
`4 Roblox, What Is Roblox, http://web.archive.org/web/20170227121323/https://www.roblox.com/
`(archived Feb. 27, 2017).
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 7 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 5
`exploration, play, and deep thinking.”5 These offerings, according to Roblox, include “high-quality,
`standards-aligned, immersive educational experiences designed by curriculum experts.”6
`
`Roblox webpage – “A New Era of Engaged Learning”
`20. Roblox’s popularity among children exploded during the pandemic when the app
`was flooded with millions of new users as kids were confined to their homes and glued to their
`devices. By September 2020, roughly 30 million people, more than half of them under 13, were on
`Roblox daily, making it the world’s biggest recreational zone for kids.
`21. That growth has continued unabated. In Roblox’s 2023 Annual Report, the company
`reported an average of 68.5 million daily active users, with 21% under 9 years of age; 21% from 9-
`12 years of age; 16% from 13-16 years of age; and 41% over 17 years of age.
`22. Today, Roblox is the most downloaded online game globally, and the average user
`spends 139 minutes a day on the app.
`7
`23. Individuals who wish to play Roblox must create an account. It is extremely easy to
`“SIGN UP AND START HAVING FUN!” Users must provide only a birthdate, username, and
`
`5 Roblox, A New Era of Engaged Learning, https://corp.roblox.com/education (last visited Feb.
`11, 2025).
`6 Id.
`7 Qustodio, Research by App Category – Gaming, https://www.qustodio.com/en/the-digital-
`dilemma/gaming/ (last visited Feb. 11, 2025).
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 8 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 6
`password. Users of any age can create an account. There is no age minimum. Roblox does not
`require users to verify their age upon sign-up, so they can easily represent that they are younger or
`older than their actual age.
`
`Roblox Sign-up Screen
`
`24. Although Roblox states that children must have parental permission before signing
`up for an account, nothing prevents them from creating their own accounts and playing on Roblox.
`Roblox does nothing to confirm or document that parental permission has been given, no matter
`how young a child is. Nor does Roblox require a parent to confirm the age given when a child signs
`up to use Roblox.
`25. After creating an account, all users are assigned a default player avatar—a cartoonish
`character that represents the individual user within certain games.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 9 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 7
`
`Example default avatar on Roblox.
`26. They can then play in millions of experiences on the app. These games are sorted
`into different genres/categories, such as Sports, Role -Playing Games, Fighting, First Person
`Shooters, Fashion, Horror, Comedy, Military, and Naval. The games recommended to a user will
`vary based on the age the user entered when ge nerating their account and Roblox’s algorithm that
`recommends games to the user.
`
`Examples of games available on Roblox.
`27. Until November 2024, Roblox configured its app to default to settings that allowed
`adults to easily communicate with children. Adult strangers could “friend” and chat with a child of
`any age via direct ( i.e., private) message. Further, even without being “friends,” adults could also
`chat with a child of any age within a Roblox experience through direct messages.
`28. Now, under Roblox’s default settings, adults cannot directly message children under
`13, but Roblox still does nothing to prevent children this young from creating accounts with fake
`13+ birthdates, which gives them full access to Roblox’s direct -messaging options. Roblox still
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 10 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 8
`relies on self -reported birthdates for age verification. Further, children 13 and over are still
`vulnerable to receiving friend requests—or direct messages within Roblox experiences—from adult
`strangers. There is also nothing that prohibits adults from entering fake birthdays and posing as
`children in their attempts to friend or otherwise communicate with children users.
`29. Roblox generates revenue largely by selling users an in-game digital currency called
`Robux, which they exchange for digital content such as online experiences and customized outfits
`and appearances for their avatars. Robux can be purchased in a single transaction or a user may
`subscribe to receive Robux on a recurring basis with a Roblox Premium membership. Roblox also
`offers Robux gift cards that anyone can purchase and send to any user.
`30. Children frequently become obsessed with purchasing or otherwise obtaining Robux
`to buy items for their avatars and to spend in their favorite experiences on Roblox. In Roblox’s
`Avatar Store, for example, the company sells rare items at astronomical prices , such as a type of
`hair for an avatar, which children seek to purchase to keep up with or outdo their peers on Roblox.
`As a result, children often tell others, including strangers, that they will do “Anything for Robux.”
`8
`B. Roblox Lures Parents into Letting Their Kids Use Roblox with Promises of
`Safety.
`31. Roblox’s success and continued growth have hinged on its constant, false assurances
`to parents that its app is safe for children. The company has offered such assurances throughout its
`history and in every forum possible —on its website, through public prom ises of its highest
`executives, in news articles, on podcasts, and on and on.
`32. Over the years, Roblox has repeatedly represented on its website that its app is safe
`for children and has touted the safety controls it has in place. As early as 2007, Roblox’s website
`assured parents that Roblox is an “online virtual playground . . . where kids of all ages can safely
`interact, create, have fun, and learn.”
`9
`
`8 Olivia Carville & Cecilia D’Anastosio, Roblox’s Pedophile Problem, Bloomberg Businessweek
`(July 23, 2024), https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-roblox-pedophile-problem/.
`9 Roblox, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs),
`
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 11 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 9
`33. From 2008 to 2016, the website continued to promise parents, “We take every
`precaution possible to make sure kids are protected from inappropriate and offensive individuals as
`well as from indecent and distasteful content.” 10 It also assured parents that Roblox had a zero-
`tolerance policy for “swearing and obscenities, messages and content of a sexual or violent nature,
`and any sort of aggressive or threatening communication,” and “immediately suspended or
`permanently expelled” any offenders.
`11
`34. The website has consistently sought to paint Roblox as “family friendly” and safe for
`children of all ages. In 2017, Roblox began declaring that it “take[s] kids’ safety and privacy very
`seriously” and “strive[s] to continually develop new and innovative technologi es that will protect
`the safety of our community while allowing players to imagine, create, and play together in a family-
`friendly environment.”
`12 Roblox similarly has advertised its app as “a safe, moderated place to meet,
`play, chat, and collaborate on creative projects.”13
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20071105104643/http://www.roblox.com/Parents/FAQs.aspx
`(archived Nov. 5, 2007).
`10 Roblox, Keeping Kids Safe,
`https://web.archive.org/web/20080501101437/http://www.roblox.com/Parents/KeepingKidsSafe.a
`spx (archived May 1, 2008); see also Roblox, Information for Parents,
`https://web.archive.org/web/20160131063648/http://corp.roblox.com/parents (archived Jan. 31,
`2016).
`11 Id.
`12 Roblox, Parents’ Guide,
`https://web.archive.org/web/20170716032712/https://corp.roblox.com/parents/ (archived Jul. 16,
`2017).
`13 Id.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 12 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 10
`
`Excerpt from Roblox Parent’s Guide in 2017
`35. Roblox’s website representations have remained largely unchanged since then. In
`2023, for example, Roblox assured parents that it “continually develop[s] cutting-edge technologies
`to ensure that the Roblox platform remains a safe and fun space for players all over the world.” 14
`Roblox claimed that the company was “dedicated to working together with parents and digital safety
`experts to promote a family-friendly environment that allows all players to imagine, create, and play
`online.”15 Roblox emphasized that it is “committed to ensur ing that Roblox is a safe and fun place
`for everyone.”16 According to Roblox, it “goes above and beyond to foster an environment where
`people of any age can create, play, learn, and imagine safely. We’ve kept children’s privacy and
`safety top-of-mind when designing our platform, especially through the implementation of advanced
`
`14 Roblox, For Parents,
`https://web.archive.org/web/20230405060048/https://corporate.roblox.com/parents/ (archived
`Apr. 5, 2023).
`15 Id.
`16 Roblox, Roblox FAQ,
`https://web.archive.org/web/20230328011957/https://corporate.roblox.com/faq/ (archived Mar.
`28, 2023).
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 13 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 11
`text filters that block inappropriate language or other unsafe content.”17
`36. Roblox’s website today contains similar assurances. It claims, “Safety is in our DNA:
`when Dave Baszucki and Erik Cassel launched Roblox in 2006, they spent a few hours each day
`with the community, helping to ensure that Roblox was a safe and welcoming environment. Safety
`was their top priority, and they made constant improvements in their moderation, both for content
`and for communication on the platform.”
`18
`37. According to the current website, Roblox “won’t allow language that is used to
`harass, discriminate, incite violence, threaten others, or used in a sexual context.” 19 Roblox touts a
`“stringent safety system and policies,”20 which include its “expertly trained team with thousands of
`members dedicated to protecting our users and monitoring for inappropriate content”; its “safety
`review of every uploaded image, audio, and video file, using a combination of review by a large
`team of human moderators and machine detection before they become available on our platform”;
`and its chat filters for inappropriate content, which “are even stricter” for children under 13 and
`“include any potentially identifiable personal information, slang etc.”
` 21
`38. These false promises and assurances are not confined to Roblox’s website. They are
`repeated in statements by the company’s highest executives— including in direct response to
`concerns raised by parents.
`39. In 2009, a blogger wrote about blocking Roblox because he doubted its safety for his
`children. CEO David Baszucki responded to the blogger reassuring him that Roblox flags
`“obviously offensive content” and removes it, and if “something is marginal, but get s flagged as
`
`17 Roblox, Roblox & User Data FAQ, https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-
`us/articles/4406238486676-Roblox-User-Data-FAQ (last visited Feb. 11, 2025).
`18 Roblox, Safety Comes First on Roblox, https://corp.roblox.com/safety-civility-
`resources?section=news&article=safety-comes-first-on-roblox (last visited Feb. 11, 2025).
`19 Roblox, Safety Features: Chat, Privacy & Filtering, https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-
`us/articles/203313120-Safety-Features-Chat-Privacy-
`Filtering#:~:text=Players%20have%20different%20safety%20settings,and%20phrases%2%200tha
`n%20younger%20players (last visited Feb. 11, 2025).
`20 Roblox, Safety & Civility at Roblox, https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-
`us/articles/4407444339348-Safety-Civility-at-Roblox (last visited Feb. 11, 2025).
`21 Id.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 14 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 12
`inappropriate,” Roblox “investigate[s] immediately.”22
`40. In a 2013 Wired interview, when asked whether a parent should be concerned about
`whom his child was chatting with in-game, Baszucki declared, “We take every precaution possible
`to make sure kids are protected from inappropriate and offensive individuals as well as from
`indecent and distasteful content,” taking a sentence verbatim from Roblox’s webpage for parents.23
`41. Tami Bhaumik, Roblox’s current Vice President of Civility & Partnerships, has
`doubled down on these promises in statements to parenting magazines, news outlets, and podcasts—
`all aimed at persuading parents to let their children use Roblox. She also has contacted international
`online safety experts in an effort to sell Roblox’s safety story.
`42. As recently as 2024, Bhaumik told Parents Magazine that “[w]e have a responsibility
`to make sure our players can learn, create, and play safely. This continues to be our most important
`priority and that will never change.”
`24
`
`
`43. Such statements by Bhaumik date back years. In 2018, Bhaumik told the Washington
`
`22 Eric Frenchman, Revisiting Roblox, Pardon My French (Oct. 5, 2009),
`https://pardonmyfrench.typepad.com/pardonmyfrench/2009/10/revisiting-roblox.html.
`23 Tony Sims, Interview with David Baszucki, Founder & CEO of Roblox, Wired (Feb. 7, 2013),
`https://www.wired.com/2013/02/roblox/.
`24 Maressa Brown, Is Roblox Safe for Kids? Here’s What the Experts Have to Say, Parents
`Magazine (Apr. 29, 2024), https://www.parents.com/kids/safety/internet/is-roblox-safe-forkids/.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 15 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAINST ROBLOX CORPORATION 13
`Post that Roblox “focus[es] on making sure that everything is done in a safe and appropriate way.”25
`That year, she also claimed to another newspaper that Roblox’s “safety team reviews every uploaded
`image, video, and audio file used within our games to make sure they are safe and age appropriate.”26
`She also boasted that Roblox has “created extensive parental controls for our games and a detailed
`Roblox Parent’s Guide that provides information to parents to help create a Roblox experience that’s
`best for their child.”
`27
`44. In 2019, while presenting on a “Digital Civility Panel,” Bhaumik emphasized that
`“[w]e make sure there’s a safe environment,” citing Roblox’s “tremendous reporting system” and
`“incredible moderation and CS team that reacts very, very quickly.”
`28 On that same panel—and in
`contradiction to Roblox’s representation that it had always taken “every precaution possible” to
`protect children—Bhaumik conceded that “digital civility did not exist at Roblox a year and a half
`ago and we established this and made it a movement within our company.”
`29 She added later, “It’s
`still very early days for us. This whole digital civility focus for Roblox is still there, we’re just still
`establishing it.”
`30
`45. In a 2022 video interview about safety on Roblox, Bhaumik asserted that Roblox’s
`“number one priority” is “to create a safe, civil, and inclusive community” and that “[s]afety and
`civility has always been baked into everything that we do.”
`31 That year, on a podcast, she also
`
`25 Hayley Tsukayama, Roblox, an Online Kids Game, Explains How a Hack Allowed a
`Character’s Virtual ‘Rape’, Wash. Post. (Jul. 17, 2018),
`https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/07/17/roblox-an-online-kids-game-explains-
`how-hack-allowed-characters-virtual-rape/.
`26 Chris Pollard, Police Warn that Children as Young as Five-Years-Old are Seeing Naked Lego-
`Type Characters Having Sex on Roblox App, The Sun (Jan. 29, 2018),
`https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5445444/roblox-app-children-danger-sex-warning/.
`27 Id.
`28 YouTube, Digital Civility Panel (Oct. 23, 2019),
`https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUs1Js7WG0&list=PLcKphP00N1_kCLjvcOWdwbegJkNS
`L-CuL&index=6.
`29 Id.
`30 Id.
`31 Video Interview with Tami Bhaumik, Roblox’s VP of Digital Civility & Partnerships (2022),
`https://www.facebook.com/bedford.sheriff/videos/roblox-how-to-help-kids-use-itsafelyrobloxs-
`vp-of-digital-civility-partnerships/1338989609901259/.
`Case 3:25-cv-07676-SK Document 1 Filed 09/09/25 Page 16 of 82
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`2
`3
`4
`5
`6
`7
`8
`9
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`
`COMPLAINT AGAI

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket