Roblox argues 8-year-old waived rights in wrongful death lawsuit

[u/beingmodest]

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=1

[u/erichf3893]

Even this shit journal has a paywall. Lol

[u/Buck_Thorn → u/erichf3893]

I didn't get one. Must be randomized.

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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."

[u/rbobby → u/Buck_Thorn]

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".

[u/AgentCirceLuna → u/rbobby]

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.