Digital Damages: When Online Platforms Put Children at Risk

When most parents think about protecting their kids, they picture real-world dangers: a suspicious car on the street, a dark parking lot, a stranger at the mall. 

But for a growing number of families, the danger didn’t start in a parking lot. It started in a chat window, a “kid-friendly” game, or a social media feed that quietly connected their child with adults who never should have had access in the first place. 

This is the new frontier of digital damages. Harm that begins online, often by design, ends in very real trauma offline. And increasingly, it’s not just the predator who may be responsible. It’s the platforms and companies that built the playground and walked away from basic safety. 

What Are “Digital Damages”? 

At J&Y Law, when digital damage attorneys, we’re talking about harm that: 

• Begins or is enabled online, through a platform, app, game, or service 
• Involves a child or vulnerable person, often through grooming, sextortion, harassment, or manipulation 
• Leads to real-world consequences, such as emotional trauma, self-harm risks, in-person abuse, or long-term reputational damage 

This harm can look like: 

• A “friend” in a game convincing a child to send explicit photos 
• An adult using AI to create fake images or avatars to gain a child’s trust 
• A teen being relentlessly bullied, exposed, or stalked through social media 
• A platform ignoring obvious red flags, weak age-gating, or repeat reports about the same predator 

Modern research backs up what we see in our cases. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that up to 95% of youth ages 13–17 use social media, with more than a third saying they use it “almost constantly,” and nearly 40% of kids ages 8–12 are also on social platforms despite minimum age rules. Studies from the National Library of Medicine have linked youth social media use to higher rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, cyberbullying, and sex-related online risks.  

When you combine that with platforms where millions of children interact with strangers in real time, you get the conditions for systemic exploitation. 

How Platforms Quietly Put Kids in Harm’s Way 

Platforms like games, apps, and social media sites are not neutral. They are designed systems with specific choices that either reduce risk or quietly multiply it. 

Common design choices that increase danger include: 

• Open or poorly supervised chat systems 
• Kids can be contacted by strangers in private/“whisper” chats, friend requests, or group DMs. 
• Research from child-safety nonprofit Thorn shows that youth ages 9–17 frequently form relationships with people they’ve never met in person, and that online grooming often unfolds slowly through “friendship” and trust-building.  
• Weak age verification and easy account creation 
• Many platforms rely on self-reported age or simple checkboxes to determine if a user is a child or adult. 
• Recent lawsuits allege that some “kid-focused” platforms function as what one attorney general called “the perfect place for pedophiles” because age controls are so easy to bypass.  
• Algorithmic recommendations that surface strangers and risky content 
• Algorithms can push kids toward “suggested friends,” trending topics, or games that bring them into contact with older users. 
• Safety regulators in multiple countries have found that harmful content and risky contacts are baked into the way platforms keep kids engaged, not just random accidents.  
• Dark-pattern safety features 
• Safety settings hidden in multiple menus; confusing language; or tools that look protective but are off by default. 
• Parents often assume that a “kid game” or “teen app” must meet some safety standard — a standard that, in reality, doesn’t exist. 

In other words: the problem isn’t just that bad people use the internet. It’s that some platforms make it far too easy for bad people to reach kids. 

“It Starts Online”: Grooming, Sextortion, and Hybrid Exploitation 

Professionals use the term online grooming to describe deliberate efforts to manipulate a young person into sexual interactions or exchanges.  

In practice, grooming often looks like this: 

1. Friendship phase – Compliments, shared interests, lots of time and attention 
2. Boundary testing – Slightly sexual jokes, “accidental” nudity, private chats 
3. Escalation – Requests for photos, videos, or secret conversations 
4. Control and threats – “If you tell, I’ll release your pictures,” “Your parents will hate you,” “Everyone will know” 

For many families we speak with, this harm doesn’t stay online. It turns into what we call hybrid exploitation: 

• A child is coerced into sending explicit images 
• The predator threatens exposure if they don’t comply 
• Eventually, the child is pressured into an in-person meeting 
• The result is physical abuse, trauma, and sometimes lifelong fear 

The key point: none of this would happen without the digital environment that enabled the initial access and control. 

Real-World Example: Roblox Under Fire 

One of the clearest current examples of platforms being challenged for child safety failures is Roblox, the massively popular online gaming platform. 

• In August 2025, the Attorney General of Louisiana sued Roblox, accusing it of creating “the perfect place for pedophiles” by failing to implement and enforce adequate child protections, including robust age verification and effective moderation.  
• The suit describes predators using tools like voice-altering software to pose as children, luring real kids into explicit conversations and exploitation.  
• Texas has filed a similar lawsuit, alleging that Roblox put “pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of children.” 
• Florida’s attorney general recently issued criminal subpoenas to Roblox, calling it a “breeding ground for predators” and accusing the company of profiting off children while failing to ensure their safety.  
• Separately, a California judge recently refused to let Roblox move a child-abuse case into a private process, keeping the allegations and platform conduct in the public eye.  

Roblox denies the allegations and points to AI tools, moderation systems, and age-verification efforts.  

But the wave of lawsuits tells us something important: courts and regulators are starting to question whether “we tried some filters” is good enough when millions of children are at stake. 

When Does Bad Design Become Negligence Under California Law? 

Traditionally, when personal injury lawyers talk about negligence or product liability, they mean things like: 

• A defective car part that causes a crash 
• A dangerous drug that wasn’t properly tested 
• A consumer product sold without adequate warnings 

Under California law, manufacturers, designers, and others in the “chain of distribution” can be held liable when defective or unreasonably dangerous products cause harm, under theories of strict liability or negligence.  

Increasingly, courts and legal scholars are asking a new question: 

What happens when the “product” is a digital environment that connects children to predators or exposes them to foreseeable harm? 

While this area of law is still developing, there are a few key concepts parents should understand: 

1. Duty of Care 

If a company designs, markets, or profits from a product intended for children, there is a strong argument that they owe those children a duty of reasonable care in how that product works and how safe it is in practice. 

2. Foreseeable Risk 

When research, public reports, and internal data all show that kids on a platform are being groomed, harassed, or exposed to sexual content, it becomes harder for a company to claim they “had no idea.” Foreseeable risks must be addressed.  

3. Design & Warning Defects 

If a platform: 

• Makes it easy for adults to contact kids 
• Fails to verify ages in meaningful ways 
• Hides safety tools or makes them hard to use 
• Markets itself as “safe” for children while knowing about serious problems 

Then plaintiffs may argue the platform suffers from design defects and inadequate warnings, similar to defective physical products. 

4. Multiple Liable Parties 

Just like a truck crash can involve a driver, their employer, and even a parts manufacturer, digital damages cases can involve multiple defendants: 

• The individual predator 
• The platform or game 
• Third-party services that enabled the abuse 
• Sometimes schools, youth programs, or institutions that knew something was wrong and failed to act 

Every case is fact-specific, and this article isn’t legal advice. But the bottom line is simple: California law already recognizes that companies can be liable when their products hurt people. Digital platforms are not magically exempt just because the harm begins onscreen. 

How Common Is Online Harm for Kids? 

If you feel like “this couldn’t happen to my child,” you’re not alone. Many families we talk to say the same thing — until it does happen. 

Research paints a different picture: 

• A 2023 U.S. Surgeon General advisory warns that social media may pose a “profound risk of harm” to youth mental health, particularly because of the volume of time spent online and the nature of content exposure.  
• A review of youth social media use found high rates of depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, sleep disruption, and sex-related problems, with online grooming appearing as a documented risk factor.  
• Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center has noted that between 33% and 39% of kids in some surveys reported being harassed online over a three-year window.  

Social media use is nearly universal among kids, and so are exposure to online harms. So, your family is not paranoid for worrying. You’re paying attention. 

Warning Signs Your Child May Be in Trouble Online 

Every child is different, but some common red flags include: 

• Sudden secrecy about devices, new apps, or online friends 
• Mood swings, anxiety, or depression after being online 
• Requests for money, gift cards, or unusual in-game purchases 
• New “friends” you’ve never heard of and can’t verify in real life 
• Nightmares, withdrawal from family, or unexplained fear 
• A child suddenly having explicit photos, or being terrified those images will “get out” 

If you see any of these signs, trust your instincts. You don’t need to know all the details before you start protecting your child. 

What Parents Can Do Right Now 

If you suspect your child has been groomed, sextorted, or harmed online: 

1. Stay calm, but act quickly 

Your child is likely scared, ashamed, and worried they are “in trouble.” Reassure them that you are not angry — you’re on their side. 

2. Preserve digital evidence 

Before accounts are deleted or content disappears: 

• Take screenshots of chats, profiles, friend lists, usernames, and timestamps 
• Save links and URLs 
• Preserve device data where possible (don’t immediately reset phones or consoles) 

These are often critical in proving what happened and who’s responsible. 

3. Report the abuse on the platform 

Most platforms have in-app reporting tools. Use them, but don’t stop there. 

4. Consider reporting to law enforcement 

If there is explicit content, threats, extortion, or suspected in-person abuse, report it to local law enforcement or a specialized cybercrime unit. 

5. Call an attorney early 

Digital damages cases are evidence-heavy: 

• Platform records 
• IP logs 
• Account histories 
• Internal safety data 

The sooner an attorney is involved, the better your chances of preserving critical information and holding all responsible parties accountable 

Can I Sue a Platform if My Child Was Groomed Online? 

It depends on the facts, but in some cases, yes. If a platform knew or should have known about ongoing abuse risks — and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent or stop them — there may be grounds for claims based on negligence, unfair business practices, or misrepresentation. Recent lawsuits against platforms like Roblox are testing exactly these theories. 

Who Can Be Held Responsible in a Digital Exploitation Case? 

Potential defendants can include: 

• The individual predator 
• The platform or game where grooming occurred 
• Third-party services that facilitated contact or payment 
• Institutions (schools, youth programs, etc.) that knew of danger and did nothing 

A California accident attorney experienced in both abuse and negligence law can help map out all possible sources of liability. 

Does Section 230 Mean Platforms Can Never Be Sued? 

No. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act gives platforms broad immunity for user-generated content, but it does not always protect them from claims focused on their own design choices, safety failures, or misleading statements about how safe their platform is. Courts are actively grappling with where those lines are drawn, and several state and federal cases are starting to narrow absolute immunity.  

What should I bring to a consultation? 

Bring anything you can safely collect, including: 

• Screenshots or exports of chats and profiles 
• Platform reports or ticket numbers 
• Notes about dates, times, and changes in your child’s behavior 
• Any police reports or school reports you’ve filed 

If you don’t have everything, that’s okay. A good legal team will help you figure out what’s still available and how to request data from platforms. 

How J&Y Law Approaches Digital Damages Cases 

For more than 15 years, J&Y Law has handled some of the most difficult injury cases in California – from child sexual abuse and elder abuse to catastrophic crashes, product defects, and corporate negligence. We’ve taken on companies that cut corners, institutions that protected abusers, and property owners who ignored obvious dangers. 

Now, we’re applying that same experience to digital damages. 

In digital damages and hybrid exploitation cases, our work may include: 

• Coordinating with digital forensics experts 
• Tracking how a predator first reached your child 
• Analyzing whether platform design, moderation failures, or misleading “safety” claims played a role 
• Identifying all potentially liable parties — not just the individual perpetrator 
• Protecting your child’s privacy and dignity throughout the process 

Our goal is two-fold: 

1. Help your family rebuild — emotionally, medically, and financially 
2. Force systemic change so fewer families go through what you did 

You don’t have to figure this out alone. And you shouldn’t have to choose between protecting your child and confronting a billion-dollar corporation. 

You’re Not Overreacting. You’re Protecting Your Child. 

The digital world has become the new playground, and too often, the new hunting ground. But you’re not powerless, and you’re not alone. 

At J&Y Law, we handle digital damages cases on a contingency fee basis. That means: 

• No upfront fees 
• No hourly billing 
• You don’t pay us unless we win for you 

If your child was harmed through a game, app, or social platform, or you suspect a platform’s negligence helped make that harm possible, reach out. 

We’ll listen. We’ll help you understand your options. And when it’s time to fight, we’ll be right there with you, online and in court.