Roblox hit with wrongful death lawsuit following a teen player's suicide

"Following her son's suicide, Becca Dallas filed a potentially groundbreaking lawsuit against Roblox and Discord, accusing the platforms of wrongful death. As first reported by The New York Times, the lawsuit recounts the events leading up to Ethan Dallas' death, detailing his interactions with a player named Nate. According to the report, Nate was likely a 37-year-old man named Timothy O'Connor."

"The lawsuit could be the first of its kind against Roblox, according to NYTimes, considering it attributes some blame to the gaming platform that's home to tens of millions of underaged players. In a statement responding to the report, a Roblox spokesperson said that child safety issues are seen across the industry and that the company was working on new safety features, while also complying with law enforcement."

"In August, Louisiana's attorney general, Liz Murrill, filed a lawsuit that claimed Roblox doesn't "implement basic safety controls" to protect its underage user base. That lawsuit follows a similar investigation launched by Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier, who demanded answers to the reports of Roblox reportedly exposing kids to "harmful content and bad actors." Roblox has taken steps to combat these allegations, including tightening restrictions on its Experiences, and more recently, expanding its age estimation tool to all users."

Becca Dallas filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Roblox and Discord after her son Ethan's suicide, alleging interactions with a player named Nate led to harm. The suit identifies Nate as likely Timothy O'Connor, a 37-year-old previously arrested on charges including possessing child pornography and transmitting harmful material to minors. Ethan reportedly told his mother about the incidents four months before his death. The lawsuit may be the first to attribute partial blame to Roblox. State attorneys general have pursued related actions, and Roblox says it is implementing new safety features and expanding age-estimation tools.

Read at Engadget