Nebraska targets Roblox in lawsuit over child safety concerns
Hilgers says the gaming platform failed to protect young users from predators and harmful content
By Naydu Daza Maya, Tyler Murphy
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska is taking on one of the biggest names in gaming.
Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced Wednesday that the state has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against the popular online gaming platform Roblox.
The lawsuit, filed in Adams County, claims the multibillion-dollar company created an environment that exposes children to sexual predators, violent material and other inappropriate content while marketing the platform as a safe place for kids.
“Parents deserve the truth,” Hilgers said Wednesday. He added that the state believes Roblox has become “a playground for predators” because of what he described as weak safety protections and limited identity verification for users.
Roblox is one of the largest gaming platforms in the world, with hundreds of millions of users who create and play games and communicate with others through messaging and voice chat.
Hilgers said the lawsuit alleges the company failed to implement adequate safeguards to prevent predators from contacting children or exposing them to harmful content.
“One of the most important things we do in this office is protect kids,” Hilgers said. “Our lawsuit alleges Roblox has failed to put basic safeguards in place, creating an environment where children can be exposed to inappropriate content and where predators can interact with minors.”
In a statement, Roblox disputed the allegations and said the lawsuit misrepresents how the platform operates.
“While we share Attorney General Hilgers’ commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online, we are disappointed that he has filed a lawsuit that fundamentally misrepresents how Roblox works,” said Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer. “Roblox is built with safety at its core, and we strengthen our protections every day.”
The company said it uses safety filters to block users from sharing personal information, enforces age-based chat settings for younger users and prohibits user-to-user image or video sharing. Roblox also said it works with law enforcement and takes action against users who violate its rules.
The legal action follows other efforts by Hilgers targeting social media companies, including a lawsuit Nebraska filed against TikTok over concerns about harmful content reaching young users.