Tennessee sues Roblox, claims safety negligence exposes kids to predators
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a civil enforcement lawsuit against Roblox Corporation, accusing the popular online gaming platform of deceiving parents about safety risks and knowingly exposing children to predators and sexual content.
Dec 21
/
FOX54
The complaint, filed in Williamson County Chancery Court, alleges Roblox violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act through a pattern of false assurances about platform safety while deliberately failing to implement basic protections that would have safeguarded its predominantly young user base.
"Roblox is the digital equivalent of a creepy cargo van lingering at the edge of a playground," Attorney General Skrmetti said in a statement. "Roblox invites children into a fantastic online world with the promise of creativity and play, but that wonderland is a trap that lets the company sell sophisticated predators access to those vulnerable kids."
"Roblox is the digital equivalent of a creepy cargo van lingering at the edge of a playground," Attorney General Skrmetti said in a statement. "Roblox invites children into a fantastic online world with the promise of creativity and play, but that wonderland is a trap that lets the company sell sophisticated predators access to those vulnerable kids."
The 61-page complaint details how Roblox, which averaged 151.5 million daily active users in the third quarter of 2025, built what the state characterizes as "a massive, largely unsupervised online world, where adults and children mingle with little functional oversight."
According to the lawsuit, over two-thirds of Roblox's daily active users are under 16, with 40% under 13 and 20% under 9 years old. The platform generated $1.36 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2025 alone — a nearly 50% increase from the same period in 2024.
The state's complaint outlines multiple areas where Roblox allegedly fell short of its safety promises:
The state's complaint outlines multiple areas where Roblox allegedly fell short of its safety promises:
Inadequate Age Verification: The lawsuit claims Roblox allows users of any age to create accounts in under 60 seconds with no identity verification or parental consent requirement — simply requiring a birthday, username, and password. This design allegedly allows both children to pose as adults and predators to masquerade as children.
Inappropriate Content Access: Until November 2024, the complaint states, Roblox hosted thousands of experiences with overtly sexual themes accessible to minors, including virtual strip clubs and inappropriately named games like "Public Bathroom Simulator" that was open to users under 10.
Insufficient Moderation: With approximately 3,000 moderators overseeing more than 150 million users, the lawsuit argues Roblox's staffing is inadequate compared to platforms like TikTok, which employs 40,000 moderators for three times the user base.
Exploitable Currency System: The complaint alleges predators use Robux — Roblox's virtual currency — to groom and extort children, offering it in exchange for explicit images or using it as leverage for coercion.
Exploitable Currency System: The complaint alleges predators use Robux — Roblox's virtual currency — to groom and extort children, offering it in exchange for explicit images or using it as leverage for coercion.
Pattern of Predation
The lawsuit cites numerous criminal cases where Roblox served as the initial point of contact between predators and victims, including Tennessee cases. In 2019, federal prosecutors charged a Wisconsin man who used Roblox to communicate with an underage Tennessee girl before attempting to meet her. In February 2025, a Shelbyville man was arrested for soliciting relationships with juveniles through online games including Roblox.
Reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children involving Roblox surged from 675 in 2019 to 13,316 in 2023, according to the complaint.
Reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children involving Roblox surged from 675 in 2019 to 13,316 in 2023, according to the complaint.
Company Knew But Prioritized Growth, State Claims
The lawsuit alleges Roblox executives were repeatedly warned about safety issues but rejected protective measures that might reduce user engagement and revenue. The complaint quotes internal discussions and investor calls suggesting the company viewed safety spending as a drag on profit margins.
"Roblox worked to reduce oversight and child safety resources despite repeated warnings, because less overhead meant more profit," Skrmetti said. "And the whole time, the company lied and said safety was its top priority."
The state points to statements by Roblox CEO David Baszucki and other executives over the years assuring parents that safety was the company's "number one priority" and that they took "every precaution possible" to protect children — claims Tennessee argues were materially false.
The state points to statements by Roblox CEO David Baszucki and other executives over the years assuring parents that safety was the company's "number one priority" and that they took "every precaution possible" to protect children — claims Tennessee argues were materially false.
Recent Changes Insufficient, Lawsuit Says
While Roblox implemented some safety changes in November 2024 — including restricting direct messaging for users under 13 and providing parents with a monitoring dashboard — the complaint argues these measures are inadequate and came only after mounting public pressure.
The lawsuit also questions the reliability of Roblox's new facial age estimation technology, citing reports of significant misidentification and the ease with which similar systems have been bypassed.
The lawsuit also questions the reliability of Roblox's new facial age estimation technology, citing reports of significant misidentification and the ease with which similar systems have been bypassed.
Legal Representation and Relief Sought
To prosecute the case, the Attorney General's Office is partnering with Nashville-based law firm Stranch, Jennings & Garvey, PLLC.
"Roblox has had nearly 20 years to fix these obvious safety flaws," said J. Gerard Stranch IV, the firm's founding and managing member. "Instead, they have chosen to profit from a system that monetizes the very interactions that put children at risk."
The state is seeking civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation, or up to $10,000 per violation for conduct occurring after April 23, 2024, along with injunctive relief, attorney's fees, and costs.
The state is seeking civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation, or up to $10,000 per violation for conduct occurring after April 23, 2024, along with injunctive relief, attorney's fees, and costs.
Tennessee joins other states that have taken action against Roblox over child safety concerns. The platform has also faced dozens of private lawsuits from families alleging harm to children.
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Our Symposium aims to provide the most beneficial and practical experiences for our students. From providing resources, special guest speakers, and also networking and bonding experiences. All of this is costs for us at Intellect-LE. We do our best to cover the travel costs for our instructors as well as resource give aways for students and all of that is paid prior to the course dates. If we have a large amount of students cancel before class, this incurs a large out of pocket expense for use and we would not be able to sustain our course. When you or your agency registers and pays for class we believe you are attending. We understand that circumstances arise so while we do not refund paid seats, we do offer the following options;
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2. Your seat may be moved to our next available training date, even if it is in another location.
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