SAN DIEGO — Every day, between the months of April 2023 through June 2023, more than 65.5 million people, 39.3 million of which were under the age of 13, logged on to the popular online children's game, Roblox.
During that time, the San Mateo-based video game company reported that it brought in $680 million in revenue.
But according to a class action lawsuit filed in San Diego many parents say the popular video game platform is profiting off of young users who spend thousands of dollars on the game's virtual currency all without their parent's knowledge.
Many of those same parents were also unaware that the widely popular children's gaming platform has a dark side, online universes with virtual nude strip clubs, sex shops, and hidden chat rooms where sexual predators can prey on young users.
Now, some of those parents are taking on the online gaming behemoth in hopes of protecting their children as well as millions of others from the hidden dangers within the game.
In the newly filed class action lawsuit, parents share their stories of getting hit with thousand-dollar-plus credit card bills and learning that their child had been preyed upon by an adult who was posing as a kid online.
"I thought it was a safe space," said Damien Uhl, a dad whose daughter was groomed by an adult without his knowledge. "There is some misrepresentation of safety. We spent a lot of money under the false pretense that this is a safe platform, and, you know, it's just a major gut check for all of us."
What is Roblox?
Roblox is a video game platform that was released in 2006 by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel. The platform allows users to create their own games as well as play, host, and design user-created content.
Roblox describes itself as, “the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine."
Upon logging in, users create an in-game avatar, which is customized with items from the marketplace. The items in the online marketplace vary from clothing to hairdos, as well as three-dimensional bodies and heads for avatars. And while basic accessories, clothing, and hairstyles can be found for free, more desired items are purchased with the game's virtual currency called, "Robux."
For example, the item, "Beautiful Hair for Space People" (seen below) costs 7,000 Robux which, as of November 6, converts to $87.50. Currently, according to Roblox, the most expensive accessory available for purchase is the "Violet Valkyrie" hat accessory which costs 50,000 Robux, or $625.
Users are encouraged to purchase monthly plans costing anywhere from $4.99 a month - for 400 Robux - to Premium 2200 for $19.99 a month for currency to create unique avatars, characters, game items, and access to new and obscure virtual worlds.
Robux can be purchased via gift card which can be found at almost any retail outlet, from Best Buy to your local grocery store. The value of gift cards ranges anywhere from $10 to $100. Gift cards also feature unique, seasonal items that carry their own value and can be bought, sold, or traded among other players within the game.
Once an avatar is created, the player can choose from several different game types to play such as battle royal, racing, tycoon, survival, and countless others. The games within Roblox are created by other users or in some cases, by large companies such as SEGA and others.
As the online gaming platform has grown over the course of the past several years, so too has the number of complaints and lawsuits against the company.
In 2021 Roblox agreed to pay $10 million to settle a class action lawsuit from users who say virtual accessories that they purchased in the marketplace suddenly vanished from their cache.
Earlier this year, Roblox was sued over claims that the gaming company allowed users to use its virtual currency on third-party gambling sites.
Through it all, as the company grappled with lawsuits, parents and other groups lodged complaints against the gaming company for exposing young users to graphic images such as naked avatars, vulgar language, and other material not suited for children.
In addition, the gaming platform faces ongoing criticism over its dependence on virtual currency, and for making it easy for children to purchase it without the parents' knowledge.
The game's virtual currency, Robux, is so widely used that it even has a website dedicated to converting Robux to U.S. dollars.
It is the issue of inadequate monitoring and dependence on virtual currency that will force the company to appear in federal court in San Diego in the coming months.
The Lawsuit
Damien Uhl's daughter first signed up on Roblox at 6-years-old.
"There's a lot of social pressure to make sure you have the flyest avatars, the best house, and all that stuff. We made sure to monitor it but it seemed like every kid was on it and that it was a safe space for her to enjoy playing video games," said Uhl, a father from Napa Valley and a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in San Diego.
Some time ago Uhl learned that his daughter had made a friend online. Uhl and his wife believed the new friend was close in age to her daughter.
They were wrong.
"It was an adult that was manipulating and grooming my daughter," Uhl told CBS 8. "The adult contacted my daughter offline and then started exchanging emails with her."
Uhl eventually discovered those emails and found that his daughter had shared inappropriate photos with the adult.
Uhl contacted the adult directly and notified the police. However, because the person lived outside of the state, there was little that could be done, said Uhl.
"Technically, they didn't break the law so there was little that we could do," added Uhl.
Uhl forced his daughter to stop using the site.
"It was pretty major, you know, she not only lost, you know, some confidence and trust. She lost what she thought was a best friend."
According to the newly filed lawsuit, Uhl and his daughter are not alone.
"Roblox is infamous for 'condo games' showing nude avatars engaging in forms of intercourse and using profane language. One journalist observed that one virtual condo game 'den showcased an array of sex toys. The private rooms upstairs were furnished only with beds. The basement was a torch-lit sex dungeon.'” reads the lawsuit.
But inappropriate interactions are not all, says Uhl and his fellow plaintiffs in the class action.
Robux Charges
San Diego County resident Katherine Murphy is one of the plaintiffs in the proposed class-action lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Murphy allowed her 7-year-old son to create a Roblox account in January of 2021. Since that time, the lawsuit states that Murphy's young son has been asked to perform virtual sex acts online and has been called a racial slur by other users on the site.
In the nearly three years since joining, the lawsuit states that Murphy has spent over $4,000 on Roblox purchases.
"Many parents also do not realize that once in the game, players can buy in-app currency that can be used to purchase a vast range of items for their avatar from third-party apps. These vary widely in cost – from a sword for $1 to a hat accessory costing $600. For children, who often do not yet understand the value of money, navigating this in-app economy can be challenging. And by using Robux rather than a real-world currency, Defendant Roblox adds another layer of confusion for children," reads the lawsuit
Attorneys Alexandra Walsh and Anne Andrews represent Murphy, Uhl and the other members of the proposed class action.
Walsh says Roblox is misleading parents about the platform's safety all while profiting from those misrepresentations.
"Parents such as Damien (Uhl), like so many other parents that we represent, were misled about the safety of this platform," said Walsh from her Washington DC Office. "First and foremost the safety of our kids should always be the top priority. It's the right of every parent to protect their kids from inappropriate content and Roblox has really undermined that."
Added Andrews, "Predators are like great white sharks, they go where it's easiest to find the prey and they never stop feeding, in this case, they never stop looking for children to hurt. The bottom line is, that it is illegal to expose minors to these kinds of things, the sexual acts that are occurring on this platform while at the same time, parents are spending vast sums of money on it. It's not slowing down. These platforms are gaining more and more traction."
Roblox Response
While unable to comment on the lawsuit in particular, a spokesperson for Roblox told CBS 8 in an email that the gaming company is dedicated to providing a safe virtual universe for users of all ages.
“We dispute the allegations and will respond in court. Roblox is committed to providing a positive and safe experience for people of all ages," wrote the spokesperson. "We have an expert team of thousands of people dedicated to moderation and safety on Roblox 24/7, and we act swiftly to block inappropriate content or behavior when detected, including sexual content that violates our Community Rules."
The spokesperson went on to add that the company has implemented a number of safety features including filtering text chats and blocking inappropriate content, as well as allowing parents to limit or turn off a user's chat feature.
In addition, wrote the spokesperson, "We have invested in building tools to give parents visibility into their children’s activity, including to prevent them from making unauthorized purchases. We also partner with more than 20 leading global organizations that focus on child safety, online safety, or both, and belong to a number of industry organizations developing best practices to keep users, particularly children, safe.”
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