Dolman Law Group has filed a class action lawsuit against Roblox Corporation in federal court, alleging the company built a multi-billion-dollar business model on unpaid and underpaid child labor. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a mother and her 13-year-old son, claims Roblox knowingly designed a system that encouraged children to create games and digital content while receiving little to no meaningful compensation. The complaint asserts that the exploitation of child creators was central to Roblox’s business model rather than incidental.

According to the complaint, the platform’s economic structure relies heavily on child users who produce a substantial portion of its content. The legal representatives include Dolman Law Group partners Matthew A. Dolman, Sara D. Beller, and R. Stanley Gipe, along with attorneys from Sbaiti & Co. PLLC, Sbaiti & Co. NJ LLC, and Weitz & Luxenberg PC. The case centers on a minor who allegedly worked more than 40 hours per week developing content without receiving wages, with claims that millions of other children were similarly affected.

The lawsuit outlines multiple legal claims, including violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), child labor laws, wage and hour requirements, and unfair business practices. It alleges that Roblox used a virtual currency system that made it extremely difficult for minors to convert their earnings into real-world compensation. Furthermore, the complaint accuses Roblox of negligent platform design and unjust enrichment, asserting the company benefited financially from intellectual property created by minors without fair compensation.

The plaintiffs allege that Roblox failed to implement safeguards to prevent exploitation despite knowing that most of its users were minors. These alleged failures include a lack of age verification, insufficient monitoring of adult-child labor relationships, and the absence of meaningful protections within its developer ecosystem. The lawsuit highlights that the platform's design and operational oversight were inadequate to protect its young user base from labor exploitation.

The plaintiffs are seeking significant damages, including recovery of unpaid wages and profits derived from child-created content. They also request the establishment of a constructive trust to hold revenue generated from those works. The lawsuit aims to address the alleged systemic exploitation of minors within the Roblox ecosystem and secure fair compensation for the labor provided by young developers.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc., alleging the platforms prioritized profits while exposing children to sexual exploitation through a deliberate "two-stage predatory pipeline." The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims both companies misrepresented their safety measures and made engineering decisions that made it easier for predators to contact minors. The state is seeking financial damages, civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, and court orders to halt the alleged conduct under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The Lanier Law Firm is representing the State of Arkansas in the litigation, State of Arkansas v. Roblox Corp. et al., Case No. 26STCV18664. The lawsuit alleges that Roblox functions as the first point of contact where predators pose as children, build trust through gameplay and virtual currency, and then migrate victims to Discord. On Discord, anonymous servers and unmonitored direct messages allow exploitation to escalate into sextortion and solicitation of explicit images. The state characterizes this relationship as a "two-stage" progression where predators initiate contact on Roblox and move conversations to Discord for explicit coercion.

Griffin alleges that Roblox failed to deploy age-check tools it already possessed, resisted internal proposals to warn children about grooming behavior, and limited safety spending while revenue expanded. The lawsuit claims Roblox paid more than $900 million a year to developers who allegedly used the platform to spread sexually explicit content across user-created "experiences." Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm stated that Roblox has allowed predators to use voice modulators to pretend to be children because it is good for business, citing evidence that the company's CEO called the problem of child predators an "opportunity."

The filing also targets Discord, which the state reports has more than 200 million monthly active users and an average user age of 16. Arkansas alleges Discord’s design choices let minors bypass parental oversight and allowed adult contacts to send content without screening under default settings. The attorney general’s office cited Discord’s transparency reporting, which showed child-safety violations rose 150% in one quarter. The state criticized Discord's "Family Center" controls and "zero-tolerance" safety claims as misleading.

Legal Framework and Demands

The lawsuit invokes the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the state’s public nuisance statute, and common law unjust enrichment claims. Arkansas seeks repayment of profits it says were wrongfully earned from Arkansas consumers. The state seeks injunctive relief to require both platforms to implement meaningful age verification, parental controls that cannot be overridden by children, and architectural changes to separate child users from adults. This follows similar legal actions by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has sued both companies for disregarding safety laws and misleading parents.

Company Responses

Roblox stated it is deeply committed to safety and strongly disputes the claims, arguing the lawsuit misrepresents how the platform works. The company highlighted recent measures, including mandatory age checks for chat access and new age-based accounts that align content access with a user’s age. Roblox emphasized its collaboration with law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable.

Discord denied the lawsuit's characterization, stating it does not reflect the platform or its investments in user safety. A spokesperson noted that Discord has no algorithmic feed or infinite scroll, distinguishing it from social media. The company said its safety systems combine technology and human-led investigations, providing tools like Teen Safety Assist and Family Center. Discord expressed a willingness to collaborate with policymakers on online safety.