Florida attorney general issues criminal subpoenas to online gaming platform, Roblox

Florida attorney general takes stand against Roblox

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is taking a stand against Roblox, a popular online gaming platform marketed towards kids. Danielle Zulkosky reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is taking a stand against Roblox, a popular online gaming platform marketed towards kids. 

Uthmeier issued criminal subpoenas to investigate harm against children. 

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What we know:

Critics of the online gaming platform Roblox take issue with the fact that it is marketed towards children but said it does not have appropriate age verification.

"They also preach that they have parental consent for Roblox, but there is nowhere on there to confirm that a parent is allowing their child to sign up for an account," said Charles Gallagher, an attorney at Gallagher and Associates law firm.

Experts also point to content moderation – or the lack thereof.

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"There are plenty of examples that are showing sexual-based communication between people," Gallagher said.

Local perspective:

The subpoenas follow three lawsuits filed in Central Florida. One family alleges their child was groomed by a predator and coerced into sending sexually explicit content.

Alexandra Walsh, partner at Anapol Weiss, is the family's attorney.

"It's Roblox where unsuspecting kids are identified and targeted by these predators who again can pretend to be little kids themselves," she said. 

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Walsh said Roblox allows any user to put a Discord handle in their profile. This is an encrypted off-site platform where anyone can chat.

"When a predator is grooming a child, that predator might say, 'Hey, we're really good friends now. We're really special friends. Let's chat on my Discord account," Walsh said.

Why you should care:

The goal of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's criminal subpoenas will be to get more information on if and potentially how the gaming site is helping predators gain access to children.

The other side:

Roblox said they couldn't comment on claims raised in litigation, but said, "Roblox’s vision is to be the safest place on the internet. While no system is perfect, this year alone we have made over 100 safety enhancements to help protect our users and empower parents and caregivers with greater control and visibility."