Indiana Attorney General Sues Roblox And Discord Over Child Safety Allegations

Photo: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita pictured in 2011 when he was a US Representative; via Wikipedia.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corp. and Discord Inc., alleging that the companies failed to put adequate protections in place to prevent online predators from contacting and exploiting children, Indianapolis NBC News affiliate Channel 13 WTHR reported.

The lawsuit, announced Thursday, May 7, accuses the platforms of violating Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act by allegedly presenting themselves as safe spaces for children while knowing that predators had used their services to contact and lure minors.

“These companies, which cater to kids and young individuals, know full well that numerous predatory sex criminals have used these platforms to contact and lure their victims,” Rokita said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “And yet, they continue promoting themselves as safe for children. That is more than reckless. It’s a clear and ongoing violation of Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, and we are working to hold them accountable to protect Hoosier families.”

The Indiana lawsuit is part of a widening legal and regulatory push against Roblox over child safety concerns. Attorneys general in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Nebraska have also sued Roblox over allegations involving child safety, deceptive safety claims, or failures to protect children from predators. Roblox has also reached child safety related settlements with Nevada, Alabama and West Virginia.

Indiana Lawsuit Cites Death Of Fishers Teenager

Rokita’s office pointed to the disappearance and death of Hailey Buzbee, a 17 year old from Fishers, Indiana. According to the attorney general’s office, the suspect in Buzbee’s case allegedly met her while she was playing online video games, including Roblox and League of Legends, and communicated with her on Discord and the secure chat app Session.

The attorney general’s office said Buzbee was one of at least three Indiana girls “who have been groomed or enticed away from their homes while using Roblox.”

Rokita also shared a statement on social media from Buzbee’s family regarding the lawsuit.

“The Buzbee Family is very appreciative of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s continued efforts to hold online platforms accountable and better protect Indiana families and children.

Technology and social media companies have a responsibility to prioritize the safety and well-being of the children and families who use their platforms. Far too often, families are left navigating dangerous online environments without the transparency, protections, or urgency they deserve.

Parents deserve the ability to make informed decisions when it comes to the safety of their children and currently that level of transparency and accountability is too often absent.”

The lawsuit also points to what Rokita’s office described as similar incidents across the country involving Roblox, Discord, or both platforms.

“This pattern has repeated itself time and time again,” Rokita said. “We cannot stand idly by and allow it to continue.”

What Indiana Is Seeking From Roblox And Discord

The Indiana attorney general’s office said the lawsuit primarily seeks injunctive and declaratory relief intended to prevent further harm on the platforms.

The lawsuit also seeks the following:

“Disgorgement of all money and benefits obtained from the unlawful, unfair, abusive and deceptive conduct.”

“Civil penalties of up to $5,000 per knowing violation and reimbursement of the Attorney General’s investigative costs.”

The lawsuit comes as Roblox and Discord face mounting public pressure over how online platforms handle minors, private messaging, age verification, parental controls, and reports of grooming or exploitation.

“Now facing intense public pressure, Roblox and Discord have said they are implementing new safety features — the effectiveness of which remains to be seen,” the AG’s office said.

Discord Responds To Indiana Lawsuit

Discord denied that the lawsuit accurately reflects the company’s platform or safety investments.

“The lawsuit’s characterization of Discord does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety. Discord is a communications platform built to connect people around playing games. Users join Discord communities intentionally, based on their interests, and unlike social media, the platform has no algorithmic feed, infinite scroll, or public “likes” pushing content to mass audiences. Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity, including exploitative and child sexual abuse materials. We require all users to be at least 13 to use Discord and also provide teen users and their parents and guardians with important privacy and safety tools, including Teen Safety Assist and our Family Center. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers in working toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet.”

Roblox Responds To Indiana Lawsuit

Roblox also responded, saying that it shares the attorney general’s commitment to child safety while defending its existing safeguards.

“We share Attorney General Rokita’s commitment to helping keep children safe online. Roblox has built a multilayered safety system that includes pioneering, industry-leading safeguards to help protect our users. You cannot exchange images or videos in chat, and we deploy a combination of advanced AI-powered detection, human moderation and rigorous filters designed to prevent the exchange of personal information. To help ensure the efficacy of these tools, we do not encrypt communications.

As part of our ongoing work to strengthen user protections, earlier this year we completed the global rollout of mandatory Facial Age Estimation, making Roblox the first major platform to require age checks for all users to access chat features. This technology will also be used in the launch of our new age-based accounts for younger users to more closely align content access, chat settings and parental controls with a user’s age.

When we identify violations of our rules we take swift action and work closely with law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable. While no system can be perfect, we are constantly enhancing our safeguards, and we look forward to working constructively with the Attorney General’s office to help keep kids safe online.”

A Growing Legal Reckoning For Roblox

The Indiana lawsuit adds another state level challenge to Roblox’s ongoing legal and public relations crisis over child safety. While Roblox maintains that it has implemented substantial safeguards, state attorneys general and families continue to argue that the platform’s safety systems have not gone far enough to protect minors from grooming, exploitation, and offline harm.

For parents and survivors, the Indiana lawsuit is another reminder that online gaming platforms are no longer viewed only as entertainment spaces. They are also social environments where children may interact with strangers, share personal information, and face risks that parents may not fully understand until harm has already occurred.

The legal question moving forward is whether Roblox and Discord did enough to warn families, prevent dangerous contact, and respond to known risks. The human question is much simpler: how many more families will come forward before online platforms are forced to make child safety the priority they have long claimed it already is?