Technology & Science
Roblox Locks Down Unrated Games After Louisiana Child-Safety Lawsuit Tanks Shares
Within 48 hours of being sued by Louisiana’s attorney general for allegedly enabling child predators—an announcement that wiped nearly 9 % off its market value—Roblox abruptly announced sweeping policy changes that bar regular users from ‘unrated’ experiences and tighten age-verification for adult-themed hangouts.
Focusing Facts
- Effective in the coming months, all ‘unrated experiences’ will be accessible only to the developer and invited collaborators; previously any user aged 13+ could enter.
- Roblox shares fell 8.96 % on 16 Aug 2025 after AG Liz Murrill filed the suit accusing the company of putting profits over child safety.
- Private-space ‘social hangout’ games (bedrooms, bathrooms, clubs, bars) will be restricted to ID-verified users aged 17+.
Context
Tech platforms built on user-generated content repeatedly hit this child-safety wall—MySpace’s 2005-07 predator scandals and the 2019 YouTube COPPA settlement are cautionary markers. Each episode forces a trade-off between open creation, growth metrics, and parental outrage, and each time regulators edge closer to treating platforms as publishers rather than neutral pipes (a slow erosion of 1996’s Section 230 mindset). Roblox’s pivot mirrors how Facebook’s 2018 Cambridge Analytica crisis triggered ‘privacy-by-default’ design, but here the lever is age-gating. Long term, this is another step toward a splintered internet where identity verification and liability standards vary by jurisdiction—Louisiana today, perhaps the EU or India tomorrow. Whether Roblox survives as an all-ages metaverse or fragments into adult and child sandboxes will shape how immersive platforms evolve over the next century, much as film’s 1930 Hays Code redirected Hollywood for decades.
Perspectives
Gaming & consumer tech outlets spotlighting lawsuit allegations
TweakTown, Eurogamer, Game Rant — They argue the Louisiana lawsuit and plunging share price show Roblox has long sacrificed child safety for growth, effectively giving predators free rein. Headlines stress lurid mini-game titles and stock’s “huge hit,” a tone that can stoke outrage and traffic while giving less room to Roblox’s own 43-minute safety briefing.
Tech press highlighting Roblox’s new safety policies
Engadget, Lowyat.NET, ScreenRant — They emphasize the platform’s fresh restrictions on unrated or adult-themed games and new AI moderation tools as evidence the company is proactively shoring up child safety. Stories quote at length from Roblox’s statement that “any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk is simply untrue,” signaling reliance on corporate access and downplaying critics’ claims.
Entertainment & culture outlets championing vigilante investigators
The A.V. Club, Times of Israel, TweakTown — They cast banned YouTuber Schlep and Chris Hansen as necessary watchdogs whose stings—credited with at least six arrests—expose Roblox’s failure to police predators. Coverage applauds vigilante tactics yet skims over Roblox’s argument that such stings violate terms and hinder law enforcement, favoring the David-vs-Goliath drama that drives readership.