Roblox’s Predator Problem and Why Federal Inaction Lets Them Get Away With It

Jane Doe was eight years old when she started playing on the popular gaming platform, Roblox. The platform was marketed for children and claimed to be safe, so Jane Doe’s mother thought it would be an acceptable option for her child. 

After Jane joined Roblox, she met another “child” on the platform who wanted to play with her. Over time, they developed a close friendship.

But slowly, things took a frightening turn. Jane’s new “friend” kept asking Jane where she lived and whether her parents were home. They encouraged Jane to keep secrets from her parents. They began sending her graphic messages and sexually explicit images. And eventually, Jane’s “friend” convinced the eight-year-old girl to reciprocate, sending sexual images in return.

These are the events which led Jane Doe and her mother to file a lawsuit against Roblox, alleging that the platform’s misleading messages about safety coupled with its factually dangerous product design make it a “breeding ground for predators.”

The reality is, Jane is only one of countless children who have been sexually exploited due to Roblox’s negligence. And finally, the world is starting to pay attention.

📣ACTION: Ask Congress to Pass the Kids Online Safety Act!

The Kids Online Safety Act would require platforms like Roblox to design their products responsibly, with child protection in mind. 

Nevada Sex Trafficking Lawsuit: What are the Implications of the Judge's Recent Ruling?

Historically, when survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation make their names public, they are met with harassment, blame, challenges to their credibility, and sometimes even violent threats to their life. In recent history, we've seen this behavior on display in response to sexual abuse claims involving powerful male public figures like the Tate brothers and Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The risk of retaliation is especially heightened for survivors of sex trafficking, who are often dealing with organized criminals. Further, sex traffickers endure serial rape at the hands of sex buyers, and are therefore at risk from not one abuser, but from hundreds – and sometimes thousands.  

For these reasons, survivors of sex trafficking do not typically have to reveal their identities to the public in order to pursue charges in court. Except, apparently, in Nevada. 

In Nevada, a judge has ruled that a survivor of sex trafficking, who has been pseudonymized as “Jane Doe,” must now disclose her identity to the public if she wishes to move the case forward. The implications of this ruling could be disastrous for survivors everywhere. 

Read more about this dangerous ruling and what we have to do to tackle it! 

You can also listen to Dani and Haley discuss the ruling on this week's episode of the Ending Sexploitation Podcast. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or any of your favorite podcast platforms. 

📣ACTION: Donate to the NCOSE Law Center

We serve our survivor clients free of charge, so your donations are a big part of what makes lawsuits like this one possible. 

ICYMI: Twitter Ruling Explained: New Precedent Set for Section 230 and Online Child Protection

This week, NCOSE held a webinar to break down the recent ruling in our Twitter lawsuit. Expert attorneys in the case delve into both the positive and negative aspects of the ruling, and what implications it has for online child protection and the infamous Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. 

This ruling contains groundbreaking victories that carve out a new path for survivors to hold accountable the online platforms that facilitated their sexual exploitation. At the same time, there were some deeply concerning aspects of the ruling that pose continuing challenges in the fight to hold websites accountable for sex trafficking. 

Watch the deep dive below!

📣ACTION: Call on Congress to Repeal Section 230! 

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace: DIDDY TO SELL OUT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN?

NCOSE's Dani Pinter appeared on this week's episode of "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" to discuss Sean "Diddy" Comb's plan to "sell out Madison Square Garden" once he's out of prison. 

Diddy was recently acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The rap mogul is still in prison for the prostitution charges, as he was denied bail, and as Pinter and Nancy Grace point out, he hasn't even been sentenced yet. 

"He's showing absolutely no concern for the victims at all and the fact that his lawyers aren't even in tune with how bad this is going to play for him when he hasn't even gotten to sentencing is disturbing, to say the least," said Pinter.

P.S. Want to make a big difference in the fight to end sexual exploitation? Join the Defender Coalition! The Defender Coalition is a community of monthly donors and advocates, committed for the long haul to ending sexual abuse and exploitation at its roots. Thanks to a matching grant offered by a generous donor, all Defenders' gifts will be automatically DOUBLED each month between now and the end of 2025!