California

Online gaming firm Roblox Corp has been accused of enabling a California girl's sexual and financial exploitation by adult men in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco on Tuesday. The lawsuit also targets online chat company Discord Inc, Snapchat parent Snap Inc and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc. 

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Notably, Snap and Meta are already faced with dozens of similar lawsuits. A Discord spokesperson told Reuters that the company has a “zero-tolerance policy for anyone who endangers or sexualizes children” but declined to comment directly on the lawsuit. 

According to the lawsuit, the girl was born in 2009 and began using Roblox when she was nine or 10 years old. Roblox is popular with children under 13 but also has adult users.

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The lawsuit further alleged that around early 2020, she came in contact with some adult men through the game who encouraged her to sign up for Discord, Snapchat and Instagram to communicate with them. None of the companies required parental consent, and Discord did not verify her age. The company says that it does not allow users under 13 years old, the lawsuit said.

This is when the exploitation began. The men encouraged her to drink and abuse prescription drugs and send sexually explicit photos of herself, according to the lawsuit. One man allegedly persuaded her to send him money.

The girl suffered severe mental health problems leading to suicide attempts and hospitalization as a result of her experience, the lawsuit said.

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The girl and her mother claim the companies failed to take steps to keep minors using their platforms safe, and that Snap and Instagram encouraged addiction in children. They are seeking unspecified damages.

(With inputs from agencies)