sex

The U.S. state of Louisiana is suing Roblox, alleging it facilitates “the sexual exploitation of Louisiana’s children”.

In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General, Liz Murrill, claimed Roblox “endangers the safety of the children” of the state, writing: “Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritises user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety.

“Every parent should be aware of the clear and present danger posed to their children by Roblox so they can prevent the unthinkable from ever happening in their own home.”

The legal papers then names several “highly inappropriate” Roblox mini games such as Escape to Epstein Island, Public Bathroom Simulator, and Diddy Party.

“These games and others are often filled with sexually explicit material and simulated sexual activity such as child gang rape. A recent report even revealed a group of 3,334 members openly traded child pornography and solicited sexual acts from minors,” the Louisiana announcement says, citing a 2024 report.

Roblox is violating Louisiana law – choosing profits over child safety. It’s basically open season for sex predators on this platform. pic.twitter.com/fGSQ8IFgWw

— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) August 15, 2025

Manage cookie settings

The lawsuit claims that while Roblox requires children to have permission from their parents or guardians to open an account, the company “does nothing to confirm or document that parental permission has been given, no matter how young a child is. Nor does Defendant require a parent to confirm the age given when a child signs up to use Roblox”.

“[Roblox] has access to biometric age verification software that requires the user to take a photo of a government-issued ID along with a real-time selfie photo that is then verified through artificial intelligence,” the AG adds. “However, while Defendant utilises this software for other purposes, Defendant intentionally does not utilise this feature when new accounts are created.”

In a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Murrill said: “So [Roblox] have chosen profits over child safety. It’s basically open season for sex predators on this app. For this reason, and all of the others that we’ve talked about today, Roblox is violating Louisiana law, and that’s why we filed this lawsuit.”

Roblox said it does not comment on pending litigation, but stressed “it would like to address erroneous claims and misconceptions about our platform, our commitment to safety, and our overall safety track record”.

“Every day, tens of millions of people around the world use Roblox to learn STEM skills, play, and imagine, and have a safe experience on our platform. Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue. No system is perfect, and bad actors adapt to evade detection, including efforts to take users to other platforms, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users.”

It added that it is constantly innovating safety tools and launching new safeguards, has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication, and serves players of which 64 percent are aged 13 or over. It also dedicates substantial resources to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behaviour, and collaborates with law enforcement and government agencies, as well as mental health organisations, child safety organisations, and parental advocacy groups “to keep users safe on the platform”.

“We know safety is critically important to families, and we strive to empower our community of parents and caregivers to help ensure a safe online experience for their children. This includes a suite of easy-to-use parental controls to provide parents with more control and clarity on what their kids and teens are doing on Roblox,” the statement concludes.

“We aim to create one of the safest online environments for users, a goal not only core to our founding values but contrary to certain assertions, one we believe is critical to our long-term vision and success. We understand there is always more work to be done, and we are committed to making Roblox a safe and positive environment for all users.”

Source link

Ubisoft developers have told a French court that former execs Serge Hascoet, Tommy Francois, and Guillaume Patrux allegedly perpetuated a “systemic” culture of sexism and abuse.

Former chief creative officer Serge Hascoët and ex-VP of editorial and creative services Tommy François both left the publisher in summer 2020, following allegations of widespread abuse, harassment, and discrimination within Ubisoft, including claims against the two executives. Former director Guillaume Patrux has similarly been accused of harassment and bullying. In all, five former executives from Ubisoft were arrested by French police in 2023 following a year-long investigation into sexual assault and harassment within the company. All three defendants deny the charges.

As reported by The Guardian, the trial, which began at the beginning of this month, has heard witnesses tell of feeling “terrified” and “like pieces of meat,” with state prosecutor Antoine Haushalter reporting “overwhelming” evidence of harassment.

“In four days of hearings, female former staff members variously described being tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, subjected to constant comments about sex and their bodies, having to endure sexist and homophobic jokes, drawings of penises being stuck to computers, a manager who farted in workers’ faces or scribbled on women with marker pens, gave unsolicited shoulder massages, played pornographic films in an open-plan office, and another executive who cracked a whip near people’s heads,” The Guardian reports.

Likening the culture to a “boys club” between 2010 and 2020, one alleged victim told the court: “The sexual remarks and sexual jokes were almost daily.”

A woman who worked for François alleged the former VP made her do handstand wearing a skirt.

“He was my superior and I was afraid of him,” she said. “He made me do handstands. I did it to get it over with and get rid of him.”

He is also accused of kissing a member of staff on the lips without consent at a Christmas party as his colleagues “restrained her by the arms and back,” while a different witness said that during a US trip, he “grabbed [her] by the hair and kissed [her] by force.” No one present reacted or stopped him, and when she reported him to HR on her return, she was told “don’t make a big thing of it.” She later had to refute rumors she’d been caught “snogging” François “even though he knew it had been an assault.”

The woman reports these incidents made her feel “stupefied, humiliated and professionally discredited.” François denies all charges, claims there was a “culture of joking around” at the studio, and insists: “I never tried to harm anyone.”

Hascoët is similarly accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He reportedly told colleagues at an away day that one of the senior female colleagues did not have enough sex, and said he would “show how to calm her” by having sex with her in the next room. He’s also alleged to have talked abut sex at the office, bullied his assistants, and made them undertake personal tasks during the working day, such as picking up parcels. The former exec denies all charges, saying: “I have never wanted to harass anyone and I don’t think I have.”

Patrux, also accused of sexual harassment and bullying, allegedly punched walls, mimed punching staff, “played with a cigarette lighter near workers’ faces, setting alight a man’s beard,” and “threatened to carry out an office shooting.” He also reportedly cracked a whip in the faces of his colleagues.

After four days of hearings, the judges have retired to consider the evidence and reach a verdict. All three men deny the charges.

Source link

Louisiana sues Roblox for allegedly choosing “profits over child safety”, claiming “it’s basically open season for sex predators on this app”

Ubisoft trial witnesses testify to “being tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, and subjected to constant comments about sex”