Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against Roblox on Thursday, becoming the latest state to take legal action against the popular gaming platform over child safety concerns.

“Roblox marketed itself as a safe place for children but turned a blind eye as predators targeted and exploited minors on its platform,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a press release on Thursday.

In the 51-page lawsuit filed in Cleveland County District Court, Drummond claims that Roblox failed to implement basic safety controls, prioritizing user growth over child safety, and that the platform “facilitated the systemic sexual exploitation and abuse of children across Oklahoma and elsewhere in the United States.” 

The platform’s design, the suit alleges, prevents parents from being aware of their child’s activity, resulting in exposure to “dangerous adults” and to encounters involving violence and sexual content.

In September, according to the lawsuit, an Oklahoma mother sued Roblox after her then-12-year-old daughter was coerced into sending explicit photos and videos to a man in his forties posing as a teenager on the platform. 

Over the last year, a swath of lawsuits have sprung up across the country alleging an online environment within Roblox that facilitates child exploitation.

A CBS News investigation last year found at least a dozen instances of hate speech on Roblox targeting minority groups and dozens of swastikas in one game where users were able to bypass safety moderations.

Oklahoma’s suit alleges violations under the state’s Consumer Protection Act, claiming that Roblox made misrepresentations to consumers by not disclosing “the true nature of the risks of harm posed to children.” Oklahoma is seeking civil penalties for each violation of the act and permanent injunctions prohibiting deceptive practices and requiring the implementation of “meaningful and lasting” safeguards.

The platform hosts over 150 million active daily users, according to Roblox, and as many as two-thirds of U.S. children between 9 and 12 years old have accounts, Oklahoma’s lawsuit claims. 

Roblox says on its website that the company applies “rigorous build-in protections and tools” and leverages partnerships with child safety experts. It announced last month that it will launch expanded parental controls for users under 16 in June.

In a statement to CBS News, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said the company has built a multilayered safety system for user protection that deploys AI-powered detection, human moderation and filters designed to prevent the exchange of personal information.

“We share Attorney General Drummond’s commitment to child online safety,” Kaufman said. “With that said, we are disappointed that he has filed a lawsuit that both fundamentally misrepresents how Roblox works and fails to take into account the extensive, industry-leading proactive measures the company is taking to set a new standard in online safety.”

The company said it is the first online gaming platform to require age checks for all users accessing chat features, and noted that it does not allow the exchange of images or videos in chats.

Kaufman said Roblox works closely with law enforcement when it identifies violations and that “while no system can be perfect,” the company is constantly strengthening user protections. “We look forward to working constructively with Attorney General Drummond to help keep kids safe online,” he said.

At least nine states including Oklahoma have sued Roblox and at least three others have reached settlements with the platform.

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

A pair of childhood classmates who served together in the Tennessee National Guard reconnected during their cancer treatments nearly 50 years after they fell out of touch.

Billy Taylor, a two-time cancer survivor, wasn’t entirely surprised when he found himself back at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at TriStar Natchez in Dickson, Tennessee, for yet another round of radiation, WSMV 4 reported.

At the same time, Randy Duke was riding his motorcycle to the same center for daily radiation and chemotherapy treatments as he fights an aggressive throat cancer.

For weeks, neither knew that they were incidentally crossing paths with an old friend.

Duke and Taylor attended school together in White Bluff, Tennessee — just 10 miles outside of Dickson — and were in the same training unit in the Volunteer State’s National Guard.

They lost contact in 1979 when Taylor left the guard to pursue his own business, and figured that was the end of things.

Taylor recognized Duke’s name immediately when he heard a nurse call for him while they were both in the waiting room at the center. Physically, though, Duke looked like a stranger — and vice versa.

“I didn’t know for sure that was him because we changed so much. I wouldn’t have known him if I hadn’t heard his name. I would have never guessed in a million years who he was,” Taylor told WSMV 4.

Taylor didn’t say anything until he got a closer look at Duke in the parking lot three days later.

“Drake, is that you?” Taylor recounted shouting at Duke.

Duke always went by his middle name, Drake, in school because there were so many other students named Randy.

“Oh my goodness, yeah. I can see it now, Billy Ray, and I was glad to see him,” Duke remembered replying while Taylor reintroduced himself.

The pair have been inseparable ever since. They spent hours catching up and reflecting on “all the crazy stuff” they did in the Guard — effectively filling a gaping hole in Duke’s life.

When Duke first started his cancer treatments, he knew it would be difficult, but he told the outlet that the lack of real connection was even harder.

“We used to know everybody in White Bluff. Now, we don’t hardly know anybody. We go to a restaurant and I’m searching for somebody I know up there,” he said.

Now, he and Taylor are leaving for their morning appointments a little earlier so they can carve out extra time to chat in the waiting room.

“We could sit out there and talk. It got our mind off things too. It was just a good feeling to see him again. You don’t see many people that you’ve not seen in 48 years,” Taylor told the outlet.

“As you get older, you’ve got less and less time to meet them. So, it might be a good time to do it,” Duke added.

When Taylor completed his treatments, he rang the center’s chemo bell with Duke by his side. Taylor said he plans to do the same for Duke when he finishes his treatments in June.

Duke, meanwhile, is hoping to secure a part-time job with Taylor when he’s well enough so they can work side-by-side as they did in their youth.