Roblox Faces Iowa Lawsuit Over Child Safety

Roblox Faces Iowa Lawsuit Alleging Risks to Child Users

Iowa lawsuit alleges Roblox misled parents and failed to protect children from exploitation

18 DEC 2025, 10:34 AM

Highlights

Iowa has sued Roblox, alleging the platform misled parents and failed to protect children from sexual exploitation.
The lawsuit claims predators exploited chat features and Robux to contact or pressure minors, with penalties of up to $40K USD per violation sought.
The case adds to broader scrutiny of youth platforms, as Roblox reports 111.8M daily users and high usage among U.S. children aged 9-12.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has sued Roblox, alleging the platform misled parents and failed to protect children from sexual exploitation. The lawsuit claims Roblox promoted itself as safe for kids while lacking adequate safeguards and seeks court-ordered safety reforms or potential restrictions on operating in Iowa.

The petition claims Roblox told parents it took “every precaution possible,” but allowed predators to hide behind avatars, contact minors through chat, and attempt to move conversations off the platform.

Iowa also alleges the platform’s virtual currency, Robux, can be used to pressure or lure children. The state is seeking restitution and civil penalties of up to $40K USD per violation.

“Roblox created a breeding ground for sexual predators, and Iowa’s children are paying the price,” Bird said in a news release, adding that the company must either strengthen protections or stop doing business in Iowa.

iowaattorneygeneral.gov

Roblox Child Safety Lawsuit Highlights Broader Platform Risks

Roblox reported an estimated 111.8M daily users worldwide in its 2024 Economic Impact Report. Iowa’s attorney general’s office says as many as two-thirds of U.S. children ages 9 to 12 have an account, amplifying concerns about exposure risks on the platform.

The lawsuit follows heightened scrutiny in Iowa after an Aug. 2025 case in which a central Iowa family alleged their child was trafficked across multiple states after meeting an adult on Roblox who posed as a teenager.

That suit claims the minor was groomed through the platform, and later kidnapped from her West Des Moines home, intensifying calls for stronger oversight.

Roblox declined to comment on the Iowa case, citing pending litigation, but said it is committed to child safety and invests heavily in moderation, including machine learning systems and 24/7 human review to detect inappropriate behavior and attempts to move users off-platform.

The company also points to parental controls for screen time, spending limits, content labels, and chat filters for users under 13, similar to safeguards on platforms like Snapchat, where teen accounts are private by default, and explicit images involving minors are flagged.

The Iowa case adds to mounting legal pressure on major online platforms to align child safety claims with enforceable protections.

Probaho Santra

Author

Probaho Santra is a content writer at Outlook India with a master’s degree in journalism. Outside work, he enjoys photography, exploring new tech trends, and staying connected with the esports world.