Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced that the state is suing Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc. for putting profit over the safety of Arkansas children. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County, California, lists several complaints, including Arkansas Public Nuisance Law and Violation of Arkansas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Concerns Over Child Safety
According to the AG’s office, Roblox reports 144 million daily active users, with about 40% under the age of 13. The AG says Discord has 200 million monthly active users and an average user age of 16. Griffin claims these platforms have been used by predators to target children.
Griffin stated, ‘These companies didn’t stumble into a child safety problem. They engineered one. Roblox built a platform with no age verification, no meaningful parental consent, and an algorithm that routed children directly toward the spaces where predators were waiting. Discord built a platform that lets children override parental monitoring with a single tap and hands anonymous strangers direct access to kids.’
A Roblox spokesperson responded, saying the company is ‘deeply committed to fostering a safe, healthy, and age-appropriate environment’ and that the lawsuit ‘fundamentally misrepresents how our platform works.’ Discord also provided a statement, saying the lawsuit’s characterization of their platform is inaccurate and that they have made investments in user safety.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
