Roblox Sued for Wrongful Death: Protecting Children from Online Predators

The vibrant and seemingly limitless world of Roblox, a platform boasting over 80 million daily users, has recently been shadowed by a harsh reality: the vulnerability of children to online predators. The confluence of a massive user base, many of whom are under 13, and the platform’s interactive nature has created an environment where exploitation can occur. As of August 2025, Roblox Corporation faces multiple lawsuits in the United States, alleging failures to protect children from online predators, and in one tragic case, a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Dark Side of Digital Play: Understanding the Risks

Roblox, advertised as an “imagination platform,” allows users to create avatars, play games, and interact with others. While it presents itself as a safe space for kids, several factors contribute to the risks children face:

Exposure to Inappropriate Content: Despite Roblox’s efforts to moderate content, users can create games with mature themes, violence, or even sexually suggestive content. While Roblox has introduced age restrictions for certain games, some inappropriate content may still slip through.
Grooming and Predation: Predators exploit Roblox’s features, such as direct messaging and in-game chat, to contact and groom children. They may create fake profiles, offer virtual currency (Robux) in exchange for explicit images, or transition conversations to less monitored platforms like Discord. Since 2018, at least 30 people have been arrested in the United States for abducting or sexually abusing children they had groomed on the platform.
Cyberbullying: The anonymity afforded by online platforms can embolden bullies. Children may experience harassment, threats, or other forms of cyberbullying while playing Roblox.
Financial Exploitation: Roblox’s microtransaction system, where users can purchase Robux, can lead to financial exploitation. Children may be pressured to spend real money, or they may fall victim to scams promising free Robux.

A Mother’s Fight: The Ethan Dallas Case

The tragic suicide of 15-year-old Ethan Dallas has brought the issue of online predation on Roblox into sharp focus. Ethan’s mother, Rebecca Dallas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Roblox and Discord, alleging that the platforms failed to protect her autistic son from a sexual predator.

Ethan, who had been playing Roblox since he was seven, met someone online who posed as a child named Nate. “Nate” taught Ethan how to disable parental controls and moved their conversations to Discord, where he coerced Ethan into sending explicit photographs. Ethan, tormented by this abuse, took his own life.

This lawsuit accuses Roblox and Discord of “recklessly and deceptively operating their business in a way that led to the sexual exploitation and suicide” of Ethan. It argues that if the platforms had implemented stronger safety measures, such as age and identity verification, Ethan would never have interacted with the predator.

Legal Action and Accountability

Ethan’s case is not isolated. Anapol Weiss, the law firm representing Rebecca Dallas, has filed multiple lawsuits related to allegations that children were groomed, exploited, or assaulted as a result of using Roblox or related platforms. In August 2025, the state of Louisiana filed a lawsuit against Roblox, claiming the platform has created an environment where sexual predators “thrive, unite, hunt, and victimize kids.” Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond is also taking steps toward potential legal action against Roblox over child safety concerns.

These lawsuits seek to hold Roblox accountable for failing to protect its young users. They aim to:

Provide financial compensation for therapy, medical care, and emotional harm.
Force Roblox to change its safety protocols and design to prevent further exploitation.
Increase public awareness of the risks children face on the platform.

Roblox’s Response: Safety Measures and Ongoing Challenges

Roblox Corporation has responded to concerns about child safety by implementing various measures, including:

Content Maturity Labels: Roblox has introduced content maturity labels to help users and parents understand the types of content to expect in different experiences.
Parental Controls: Roblox offers parental controls that allow parents to manage their child’s account features, such as screen time, content maturity, spending limits, and privacy settings.
Chat Filters and Moderation: Roblox filters all text chat on the platform to block inappropriate content and personal information. The company employs thousands of moderators to monitor content and respond to abuse reports.
Age Verification: Roblox requires age verification for certain features and is rolling out an age-estimation feature platform-wide.

Despite these efforts, challenges remain. Predators continue to find ways to circumvent safety measures, and the sheer volume of content on the platform makes it difficult to monitor everything effectively.

Protecting Your Children: A Parent’s Guide

As a parent, you can take proactive steps to protect your children from online predators on Roblox:

Talk to Your Children: Have open and honest conversations with your children about online safety. Teach them not to share personal information with strangers and to be cautious about online relationships.
Monitor Their Activity: Regularly check your child’s friend lists, message logs, and game history. Look for any red flags, such as secretive behavior or communication with unfamiliar users.
Utilize Parental Controls: Take advantage of Roblox’s parental controls to restrict content, limit chat, and set spending limits.
Consider Third-Party Software: Explore third-party parental control software that offers additional monitoring and filtering capabilities.
Report Suspicious Behavior: If you suspect your child is being groomed or exploited, immediately contact law enforcement and report the behavior to Roblox.
Keep Devices in Common Areas: Encourage your children to play Roblox in common areas of your home where you can supervise their activity.
Ensure Accurate Age Information: Make sure your child creates an account using their correct age, as this enables stricter safety settings by default for users under 13.
Show Interest: Talk to your child about their favorite games and avatar, and ask if you can watch them play or even play yourself.

The Future of Child Safety on Roblox

The lawsuits against Roblox highlight the urgent need for online platforms to prioritize child safety. As technology evolves, so too must the measures taken to protect vulnerable users. This includes:

Stronger Age Verification: Implementing more robust age verification methods to prevent adults from posing as children.
Enhanced Content Moderation: Investing in more sophisticated content moderation tools and human review to identify and remove inappropriate content quickly.
Collaboration with Law Enforcement: Working closely with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute online predators.
Transparency and Accountability: Being transparent about safety measures and taking responsibility for failures to protect children.
Compliance with Regulations: Adhering to child protection regulations, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, which imposes significant obligations on online platforms to protect users under 17.

The safety of children online is a shared responsibility. By working together, parents, platforms, and lawmakers can create a safer digital environment for young people to explore, learn, and connect. If your child has been harmed through Roblox, Discord, or another digital platform, consider seeking legal advice to understand your options and hold these companies accountable.