Roblox Corp., an online gaming company, is accused in a complaint filed in San Francisco on Tuesday of facilitating the sexual and financial exploitation of a California teenager by adult men.
In addition to Discord Inc., the parent company of Snapchat and Instagram, Meta Platforms Inc. is also named in the case, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court. There are already numerous lawsuits of a similar nature against Snap and Meta.
A Discord representative refused to explicitly address the case, but stated that the firm had a"zero-tolerance policy for anyone who endangers or sexualizes children."
Roblox, a gaming website, has devised a plan whereby users can purchase any content, after which some of it is removed to make it appear as though the platform is being properly moderated.
Roblox's product saw a huge increase in demand during the pandemic as individuals were compelled to stay at home. In the first nine months of 2020, Roblox's income increased by 68 percent while its user base of primarily young children increased by 82%.
According to the community standards of Roblox, they want to make sure that everyone is treated kindly and with respect while also making them feel safe.
The girl, S.U., was born in 2009 and started using Roblox when she was nine or 10 years old, according to the lawsuit. Adult users as well as children under the age of 13 enjoy playing Roblox.
From the beginning of 2020, S.U. allegedly got into contact with adult men through Roblox, who urged her to sign up for Discord, Snapchat, and Instagram to speak with them. Even while Discord said it did not permit users under the age of 13, the lawsuit claimed that none of the businesses required parental approval and that it did not verify S.U.'s age.
According to the lawsuit, the males took advantage of her by urging her to take prescription medicines, drink alcohol, and send sexually graphic pictures of herself. She allegedly agreed to send money to one of the men. As a result of her experience, the lawsuit claimed that she experienced severe mental health issues that resulted in hospitalization and suicide attempts.
S.U. and her mother C.U. assert that the businesses failed to take adequate precautions to ensure the safety of minors using their platforms and that Snap and Instagram incited children's addiction. Unknown damages are what they're requesting.
