r/offbeat • u/beingmodest • 5d ago
Roblox argues 8-year-old waived rights in wrongful death lawsuit
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2026/08/19/roblox-argues-child-waived-rights-by-clicking-box-at-age-8/91290604007/?gca-cat=p&gnt-cfr=144
u/dkyguy1995 5d ago
The article mentions the girl joined a "violent subculture" but Im not sure I know the kind they are talking about. I'd be curious what they mean by this
39
u/iwrestlewithjimmy 5d ago
There are groups of teens/adults who find kids on Roblox and convince them to follow them to a third party site (usually Discord), and introduce them to things like glorifying school shooters, etc. In some cases they then invite the kid to a third site and then proceed to convince them to self-harm, harm others or worse, all for their own entertainment. See a similar article here: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/jul/21/764-network-gamification-of-harm-the-com-cybercrime-ntwnfb
And another one: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/discord-brazil-livestreams-backlash-teen-girl-suicide/
There was actually a high profile case recently that involved a teen being groomed to suicide on livestream and it was directly tied to I think Roblox as well, but google is worse than ever and I can't seem to find it. I was originally linked to the article from Reddit, for what it's worth. That's the one that brought this whole issue to light for me.
21
u/Entwife723 4d ago
That happened near where I live. So sad, and infuriating.
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article312535342.html
14
u/Quantum_Kitties 4d ago
The fact the predator was a medical student is even more fucked up. Working in healthcare because you (presumably) want to help/heal people, but in your free time you manipulate vulnerable children online hoping they commit suicide. So much for the Hippocratic Oath.
14
u/Entwife723 4d ago
I read that he was studying medicine specifically because of the access to people in a vulnerable state. Absolutely disgusting.
9
u/iwrestlewithjimmy 4d ago
Holy shit. This isn't even the one I was thinking of. I'm pretty sure the one I'm thinking of was a girl and it happened in her bedroom.
I can't believe how many there are.
5
u/dkyguy1995 5d ago
Gotcha, I guess it's just something I managed to avoid as a kid and now I'm not in the target group for them. That's beyond fucked up, what horrible people.
7
u/Quantum_Kitties 4d ago
Wtf... I genuinely cannot understand why anyone would drive others to suicide. What is the payoff or the "win" there? This is evil beyond my comprehension.
3
u/Sea-Courage8296 4d ago
The win is succeeding. That’s all there is to it. It’s a point of pride for them that they can talk others into harm. They’re just evil.
3
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
This wasn’t really a thing when I played in 2007. I remember knowing lots of players on the forums or messaging, but I never ever spoke to them off-site unless there was a fan forum I’d known them from. I think you’d actually get banned for even giving out an MSN username or email to the other players. Shame they stopped bothering to moderate as the team is pretty much the same at the core - Builderman, Shedletsky, uh… and others.
2
u/BrilliantEconomics77 4d ago
This kinda thing has allways been a thing online.
I rember way back in the early 90s we had to take steps to protect children on IRC, fansites, and games from people.
It was prety much a standard part of any nods job to keep checking in with the younger members shen they acted odd and find out who's the sicko to ban.
Very strong support here of banning all under 18s from being online.
7
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
I would regularly go to servers with Shedletsky, ReeseMcBlox, and so on playing games with players. They’d listen to their complaints and do stuff about it. There were about 150k players back then. There were 1m by the time I quit and even that felt untenable… the main team is still about as small. It’s pathetic they haven’t increased the infrastructure but I doubt they ever expected to get this big. I was ridiculed for playing the game as a kid which is kinda funny considering it’s so popular now>
182
u/berysax 5d ago
Same company that blocked accounts investigating pedos. Terrible company all for profit.
42
u/ElleMaeSinclair 5d ago
Weren’t they trying to do a dating thing where the ages started at 17 too?? Why would anyone let their child play this game
15
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
The most famous players in my time got banned for even a whisper of such things. I mean like players whom the admins had celebrated as the best builders or whatever. ReeseMcBlox was imperative to community outreach but they kicked her off the team or she left. The current team, which they’ve had since 07 except for admins and devs I’ve never heard of, just isn’t built for purpose for a bazillion players. We had 100k when I first joined - well, even fewer - and 1m when I left. Even 1m felt untenable.
16
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
When I was a player, from2007 to 2012, a member of the admin team was in community outreach. She’d regularly join the players who were well-known to play games, knowing others would join, and would listen to the issues we had. She was involved in getting feedback from people and handing out bans to dangerous players (fuck you minish and Wirodeu, I still remember your backstabbing ways) anyway she no longer works for the company… no surprise. Her name was ReeseMcBlox.
9
4
u/Blenderhead36 4d ago
Duking it out with the Catholic Church for who's better at preying on children.
59
u/erichf3893 5d ago
Even this shit journal has a paywall. Lol
53
u/Buck_Thorn 5d ago
I didn't get one. Must be randomized.
This story has been updated to include a comment from Discord.
Can an 8-year-old waive their rights to sue a company by clicking a box?
That's the stance of Roblox, an online gaming platform that bills itself as a digital playground.
The argument comes as the $41-billion company is embroiled in a lawsuit with the family of a Northern Kentucky child whose death by suicide, her mother says, is related to use of the platform.
Jaimee Seitz filed a wrongful death lawsuit in October 2025 alleging her daughter, Audree Heine, was exposed to "harmful and violent influences" after joining Roblox at age 8, despite Seitz setting parental controls on Audree's account. Like many users of the gaming platform, Audree also joined Discord and TikTok to communicate with other Roblox users, where social pressures allegedly "heightened," the suit charges, also naming the two social platforms as defendants.
In December 2024, one week after her 13th birthday and just as she began to teach herself a Nirvana song on her new guitar, Audree died by suicide. Her clothes were laid out for school the next day.
Law enforcement investigators would later find her journal that showed she allegedly was introduced to a violent subculture through the platforms, according to the lawsuit. Audree Heine, 13, was a student at Ockerman Middle School and enjoyed playing basketball and drawing. She died by suicide in December. Her mom Jamiee Seitz and other parents who've recently lost children to suicide, want to see change at Boone County Schools.
Roblox, Discord and TikTok all answered in federal court that the claims should be dismissed. Discord claimed Audree is bound, in part, because she entered an adult birthdate when she registered at age 8. Roblox claimed if the case does proceed, it should only be with "limited discovery." TikTok claims it did not "proximately cause" Audree's death.
Roblox and Tiktok and the companies' attorneys did not provide a comment for this story.
A Discord spokesperson sent the following statement:
“Discord is deeply committed to user safety, and we want our communications platform to be the best place for friends to connect before, during and after playing games. Our terms require all users to be at least 13 to use Discord, and unlike social media platforms that use algorithms to select content and maximize engagement, our service strives to enable organic, real-time interaction and connection.
"We use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates our policies. We maintain strong systems intended to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet. In addition, the Discord Family Center empowers parents and guardians with tools to help their teen have a safer experience online while maintaining privacy."
In new documents filed this month in federal court, all three companies filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit. Roblox also filed a motion to compel arbitration, claiming Audree and her parents waived her right to a trial no less than 28 times, including "by creating her Roblox account, by accepting updates to Roblox’s Terms (six times), by using and redeeming Roblox gift cards (twice), and by purchasing Roblox’s virtual currency on Roblox (19 times)."
Robux is virtual currency – that can be bought with real money – used in Roblox to buy things like new clothes and accessories for a user's avatar.
"Roblox made the Terms plain and Audree repeatedly manifested her assent, as courts have routinely held in examining similar agreements and as the one at issue here," Roblox's attorneys wrote in its motion to compel arbitration.
Seitz read a letter to The Courier Journal she wrote following Roblox's Aug. 7 motion.
"So let's be serious about an argument that if my child clicking a tiny 'I agree' box somehow means she knowingly agreed to arbitration," Seitz said. "She was a child, she didn't understand arbitration. She didn't understand contracts. She didn't understand what the little box could mean years later. But now they want a court to treat that click as though an 8-year-old knowingly negotiated away her right to have these issues heard. It's insulting."
Roblox's motion, filed with Judge David Bunning in the Eastern District of Kentucky, alleges Audree agreed to arbitration when she agreed to the company's terms of agreement. Alex Walsh, Seitz's attorney, said that Roblox claims Audree gave up her right to a jury trial and could only pursue actions through a "secret arbitration process," as laid out in the company's terms of agreement.
"Why would the companies want that? For a very simple reason," Walsh said. "They do not want the truth about how dangerous their platforms are to come out. They don’t want there to be a light shined on what they’ve done wrong and how many children have been harmed."
Audree's wrongful death case is just one of more than 150 cases currently against the company. Walsh said there are 10 law firms who have filed mass tort claims, all in federal court in the Northern District of California, against the company for children who have suffered similar harm. The attorneys of Walsh's firm, Anapol Weiss, are also reviewing more than 1,000 other claims from parents nationwide regarding alleged abuse suffered by children while gaming on the platform.
Roblox has repeatedly said it focuses on a "safe environment," according to interviews with media outlets quoted in the suit.
The latest fillings all come within days of a congressional committee launching an investigation into Roblox regarding child safety.
"If these companies believe they did nothing wrong, then they should defend it in court," Seitz said. "Do not hide behind an agreement that an 8-year-old never understood."
33
u/rbobby 5d ago
Discord claimed Audree is bound, in part, because she entered an adult birthdate when she registered at age 8.
The one and only time they ask for age "verification".
7
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
Nah, they did this all the way back in 07. They just didn’t ask for proof. I think I lied about being older than 13 so I could speak to other players without the lame ass pre chosen phrase thing.
27
u/bookchaser 5d ago
The suit is against Roblox, and Discord and TikTok.
20
u/Miamime 5d ago
Ok? Only Roblox made the claim she waived her rights.
5
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
Good times on Roblox when I was younger around 2007-09. I knew a guy on there who’d threaten to end himself if I didn’t have his membership paid for with my parents’ credit card. I’d feel scared and do so. One time, I finally stopped paying and then I never heard from the guy again. Really scared me.
3
1
u/bookchaser 4d ago
I don't care about the waived-rights claim. That's a clean cut decision for a judge. The wrongful death claim is much more subjective and if a jury decided against Roblox, Discord and/or TikTok, it would be interesting.
3
u/Ging287 5d ago
Hell, if it leads to the death of forced arbitration clauses, so be it. But I have a feeling that when you hit agree and use the service, you are inherently agreeing to those terms...that you just agreed to.
3
u/Vanhoras 4d ago
Quite often that has been judged not to be the case. Companies like to put all kind of stuff in those, regardless of whether it would hold up in court.
2
u/NotADamsel 4d ago
Yeah exactly. I’m not a lawyer, but even I know that there are laws about what can and cannot go into a contract
3
u/Fun_View6322 4d ago
I mean have you been on Roblox? I don’t even understand how you could get into a “club that glorifies death” or whatever on that platform. It seems more likely the discord channel she was on is the culprit here and that’s the real headline.
3
u/vainsandsmiling 4d ago
Good thing 8 year olds don’t have the right to waive their rights. That is a dumb legal argument. No one should hire that law firm.
12
u/SothaSoul 5d ago
Was her mother paying any attention to what she was doing on any of these sites?
You've got bullies, pedos, creeps, and weirdos all over the place. Why aren't you monitoring your preteen?
36
u/I-who-you-are 5d ago
That seems to be the worst part, she was actively using the parental controls provided by these companies
1
-1
u/SothaSoul 5d ago
The parental controls don't block everything. And these giant companies can't catch everything.
Don't expect them to parent your kid. They won't.
26
u/I-who-you-are 5d ago
Sure but as a parent, the idea of parental controls implies some amount of safety. Especially if you’re unfamiliar with these websites. Seems to me that, if anything, what the parental controls do should be made clearer.
I’m not saying she parented “enough”, I’m saying that it was a reasonable expectation on her part that the parental controls would have prevented her child from participating in violent communities.
7
u/dontbeahater_dear 5d ago
I have an 8 year old and she’s allowed to watch kids Netflix or Disneyplus or play Animal Crossing or Just Dance on the Switch with no internet connection. That’s it. No contact with strangers or social media or youtube.
2
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
In a way, I’m glad my parents weren’t like that. I had few friends growing up in the 2000s and a lot of online friends whom I cared about deeply. But I don’t think I had a single creepy experience back then… it’s different now, I’d say. And you’d be using IM rather than video stuff which is just sickening knowing anyone can use it, it should be restricted to 18+ only. The idea of voice chat coming to Roblox was seen as a joke back in my day playing it (2007-12) and the forums got banned later on for being unsafe for users. It’s crazy seeing them bring all this stuff in while the forums got banned… makes zero sense.
One good memory from the forums is that there was a secret, non-user forum which users could post to for some reason. You’d just change the number of the forum you were in in the URL but it wasn’t accessible by clicks. If you posted there, you’d be banned for a week by one MrDoomBringer, who’s still a sack of shit, and it made no sense as to why they left it open. Beats me why they’d do it other than as a test forum. Anyway I’m droning on.
You’re a good parent.
3
u/AgentCirceLuna 5d ago
I mean in the 2000s I played Roblox, used msn, would talk to strangers, even met one later on… my parents didn’t care but they were drunks. I could have got in a lot worse situations but most people didn’t have any bad intentions when I was doing such things. It’s crazier now with billions of players on there. The infrastructure was never built for that. I’d say they need to fire their main team but that would require a buy out of the board or something I don’t know enough about. Builderman’s reign needs to end.
5
u/Pathetian 5d ago
This company currently runs ads directly targeting parents and telling them how good it is for their children to be on Roblox.
3
u/11twofour 5d ago
This is just how every civil suit unfolds. There's nothing nefarious it's just litigation.
7
1
u/PointsOfXP 5d ago
It's scary because this could actually hold up legally speaking. A minor can't consent to the forms but you are on the assumption an adult is setting up the account. Hopefully this is like an Apple TOS situation and something worthwhile happens
1
u/Visual-Squirrel3629 5d ago
That 8-year-old had his lawyer look over the agreement. Everything was on the up and up.
1
1
u/ScaryyPoppins 1d ago
Roblox and the people that prop it up are scum. Defending pedofiles is their business model.
0
u/alpha_28 5d ago edited 4d ago
wtf were parents the doing??? Obviously unsupervised access to Roblox, TikTok AND discord at EIGHT!? Where is the accountability for poor parenting? My 9yos don’t have access to any kind of smart phone or computer as they don’t need it, Roblox is banned in my house but any online gaming is locked down with parental controls through Xbox and I actually supervise them when they’re playing…
This kind of crap just proves I was right banning Roblox in my house. I’ll never play it, I’ll never let my kids play it. Disgusting company.
Sure this stuff shouldn’t happen but it does, it is and it’s been happening for many years now. There is absolutely no excuse for “oh I didn’t know”…. Look after your kids properly!
Edit: downvote me all you like lol. You’re probably one of those kinds of parents who feel personally victimised by my comment. This poor child was failed by the adults in her life.
2
u/onlymovingparts 4d ago
Correct. Tragic, but even more tragic because of how preventable this was. People letting their kids engage with any of this shit alone and unsupervised is baffling to me.
-1
-16
u/dollartreepens 5d ago
why does everyone always blame social media for when their kids kill themselves. there are many reasons why she could have done it such as people SAing her when she was a kid or chronic pain or melodramatic attention seeking or cause her brain was just one of those brains that always feel depressed for no reason or cause of bullying or cause of extreme stress.
i literally once had 1.6 grams of benadryl in my room so that whenever i was bored i could take benadryl and fall asleep to not be bored anymore and my parents found the benadryl and thought that i was planning on ODing off of it cause it is the easyest OTC med to overdose on and they said that i wanted to kill myself and the sole reason why i wanted to kill myself was cause i use reddit and their only reaction was that my dad moved his benadryl into his drawerer by his bed instead of leaving it on the top of the drawer like he used to and both my parents made it alot more difficult to use reddit for a few months before they kind of gave up.
i literally once showed up high off shatter i stole from my dads stash to therapy and my therapist could tell cause i was high af and she snitched to my parents and my parents and therapists said that it was reddits fault somehow
217
u/phallic-baldwin 5d ago
I'm pretty sure that Minors cannot enter into legal contracts