INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corp., maker of a widely used online gaming platform, and Discord Inc., which operates a messaging app, alleging the companies failed to provide sufficient protections against online predators targeting children.
“These companies, which cater to kids and young individuals, know full well that numerous predatory sex criminals have used these platforms to contact and lure their victims,” Rokita said in a release. “And yet, they continue promoting themselves as safe for children. That is more than reckless. It’s a clear and ongoing violation of Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, and we are working to hold them accountable to protect Hoosier families.”
The lawsuit cites the case of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee of Fishers, who was allegedly lured from her home in January after months of interaction with a man on Roblox and Discord. She was later found dead in Ohio. According to Rokita’s office, Hailey is one of at least three Indiana girls who have been groomed or enticed away from their homes while using Roblox.
Rokita’s office points to similar incidents in other states. In 2019, a Florida man was arrested after authorities said he targeted 10- to 12-year-old children on Roblox, coaxed them onto Discord, and coerced them into sending sexually explicit images. In 2024, the FBI arrested a Michigan man and charged him with numerous crimes tied to the sexual exploitation of possibly more than 100 children. Investigators said he told them he used Roblox to talk to others sexually, including minors he allegedly knew were children, before moving conversations to Discord and coercing them to send nude images.
“This pattern has repeated itself time and time again,” Rokita said. “We cannot stand idly by and allow it to continue.”
Roblox and Discord have said they are rolling out new safety features, but the effectiveness of those changes “remains to be seen,” Rokita’s office says.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive and declaratory relief to prevent further harm on the platforms, disgorgement of all money and benefits obtained from what the filing describes as unlawful, unfair, abusive and deceptive conduct, civil penalties of up to $5,000 per knowing violation, and reimbursement of the attorney general’s investigative costs.
STATEMENT FROM DISCORD
“The lawsuit’s characterization of Discord does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety. Discord is a communications platform built to connect people around playing games. Users join Discord communities intentionally, based on their interests, and unlike social media, the platform has no algorithmic feed, infinite scroll, or public “likes” pushing content to mass audiences. Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity, including sharing exploitative and child sexual abuse materials. We require all users to be at least 13 to use Discord and also provide teen users and their parents and guardians with important privacy and safety tools, including Teen Safety Assist and our Family Center. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers in working toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet.”
STATEMENT FROM ROBLOX
"We share Attorney General Rokita’s commitment to helping keep children safe online. Roblox has built a multilayered safety system that includes pioneering, industry-leading safeguards to help protect our users. You cannot exchange images or videos in chat, and we deploy a combination of advanced AI-powered detection, human moderation and rigorous filters designed to prevent the exchange of personal information. To help ensure the efficacy of these tools, we do not encrypt communications.
As part of our ongoing work to strengthen user protections, earlier this year we completed the global rollout of mandatory Facial Age Estimation, making Roblox the first major platform to require age checks for all users to access chat features. This technology will also be used in the launch of our new age-based accounts for younger users to more closely align content access, chat settings and parental controls with a user’s age.
When we identify violations of our rules we take swift action and work closely with law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable. While no system can be perfect, we are constantly enhancing our safeguards, and we look forward to working constructively with the Attorney General’s office to help keep kids safe online.”
