Two New Lawsuits Accuse Roblox and Snapchat of Failing to Protect Children From Predators

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Summary: Two new federal lawsuits accuse Roblox and Snapchat of failing to protect minors from online grooming and sexual exploitation, adding to growing child-safety litigation against the platforms.

Image: Roblox logo, Roblox Corporation, via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

Two families have filed federal lawsuits accusing Roblox Corporation and Snap Inc. of failing to adequately protect children from online sexual exploitation and predatory grooming, Tampa Free Press reported.

The complaints were filed Sept. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of two Florida minors.

Both lawsuits allege that Roblox was designed with inadequate child-safety protections and that the company misled parents about the risks young users could face on the platform.

One of the lawsuits also names Snap Inc., alleging that a predator used both Roblox and Snapchat to groom a teenage girl.

One Lawsuit Involves a Girl Who Began Using Roblox at Age 5

The first lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 9-year-old girl from Pasco County, Florida.

According to the complaint, she began using Roblox when she was about five years old. An adult from Texas allegedly posed as a young girl and contacted her through a Roblox game called A Lion’s Pride.

The lawsuit alleges that the individual gradually gained the child’s trust through Roblox’s chat system before sending sexual messages and images.

Her family later reported the communications to law enforcement.

The complaint accuses Roblox of failing to implement safeguards that could have prevented an adult stranger from contacting and grooming a young child through the platform.

Learn More About Roblox Exploitation Lawsuits

Families across the country are suing Roblox over allegations that predators used the platform to contact and groom children while safety protections failed to keep up.

Learn more about the lawsuits, investigations and child-safety allegations in our Roblox Exploitation Lawsuit Guide.

Second Lawsuit Names Roblox and Snapchat

The second lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 15-year-old girl from Hillsborough County, Florida.

According to that complaint, a predator posing as a teenage boy first contacted the girl through Roblox around 2024 and later continued communicating with her through Snapchat.

The lawsuit alleges that the individual groomed the teenager across both platforms and coerced her into sending personal images while also sending explicit material to her.

The family is suing both Roblox Corporation and Snap Inc.

Lawsuits Challenge How Platforms Were Designed

The complaints do not focus only on the alleged predators.

They also challenge how the platforms themselves were designed.

According to the lawsuits, Roblox and Snapchat historically relied heavily on self-reported birthdates and allowed forms of direct communication that made it possible for adults to contact minors.

The plaintiffs argue that those design choices increased the risk that predators could identify, contact and groom young users.

The complaints include claims for design defect, failure to warn, negligence and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Roblox Has Introduced Additional Child-Safety Restrictions

Roblox has made several changes to its child-safety systems in recent years, including tighter communication restrictions for younger users.

The lawsuits argue that those changes came too late and remain insufficient to address the risks children face on the platform.

The complaints specifically point to restrictions introduced for accounts belonging to children under 13 while alleging that broader vulnerabilities remain.

Roblox has previously said it invests heavily in safety systems, moderation and age-based protections and disputes allegations that its platform is designed to facilitate child exploitation.

Roblox Litigation Continues to Expand

The new cases arrive as Roblox faces a growing number of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to adequately protect minors from sexual predators.

Many of those lawsuits make similar allegations: that predators can use the platform to identify and contact children, build trust through games and chat features, and then move conversations to other platforms where exploitation may escalate.

That pattern has become increasingly important in Roblox litigation because plaintiffs are not only challenging the conduct of individual predators. They are also asking courts to examine whether platform design, age verification, parental controls and moderation systems did enough to protect children.

The two new lawsuits seek jury trials and unspecified monetary damages for alleged emotional and psychological harm.

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