Los Angeles County Sues Roblox Over Alleged Child Endangerment and Exploitation

Los Angeles County filed a civil lawsuit against Roblox Corporation on February 19, 2026, alleging the social gaming platform has exposed children in Los Angeles County to sexual exploitation, grooming, and a high volume of inappropriate sexual content. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, frames the conduct as unfair and deceptive business practices and seeks injunctive relief, abatement, and civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day for each violation.

The county’s court paper names violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law and describes specific product design failures. "This action is based on Roblox's own conduct: its design choices, safety failures, and false and misleading representations," the complaint states, and it asserts the platform architecture lets adults "target minors with ease, masquerade as fellow children, strike up conversations, and maneuver themselves into a position of influence over those children, grooming them through repeated interactions."

County officials framed the filing as a response to long-standing safety gaps. Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor, said, "This lawsuit is about protecting children from online predators and inappropriate content. Roblox has a responsibility to keep kids safe, but instead it has allowed its platform to become a place where children can be exposed to grooming and exploitation. Los Angeles County is taking action to hold the company accountable and demand real safeguards." Rafael Carbajal, director of the County's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, said Roblox "has long been aware that predators use its platform to target children yet failed to take necessary action." A county source identified only as "Harrison" added, "This is not about a minor lapse in safety. It is about a company that gives pedophiles powerful tools to prey on innocent and unsuspecting children" and "The trauma that results is horrific, from grooming, to exploitation, to actual assault. This needs to stop."

The complaint alleges Roblox failed to implement effective moderation and age verification systems despite public assurances that the platform is safe for kids, and that the company failed to disclose the dangers of its platform to children, including the risk of registered sex offenders using Roblox. The county seeks court-ordered changes to the platform and civil penalties as part of the requested relief.

Roblox has publicly contested the county’s allegations. The company "strongly disputes" the claims and said it will "defend against it vigorously." Matt Kaufman, Roblox Chief Safety Officer, said, "Roblox is built with safety at its core, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day. We have advanced safeguards that monitor our platform for harmful content and communications."

The filing adds to a broader slate of litigation: state lawsuits have been filed in Texas, Kentucky, and Louisiana, and dozens of U.S. families have sued Roblox, while the Santa Monica Daily Press noted this is the first suit of its kind brought by a California governmental entity. For parents seeking to report individual experiences, the county provided complaint resources and contact lines: callers can reach the county complaint line at 800-593-8222, county general information at (213) 974-1234, and County Counsel contact Scott Kuhn at skuhn@counsel.lacounty.gov or 323-719-9606.

With injunctive relief and abatement on the table and penalties of up to $2,500 per day per alleged violation, the Los Angeles Superior Court filing sets a timetable for a courtroom dispute in which the county will press for structural changes to how Roblox moderates interactions and verifies age, and Roblox has signaled it will defend its safety measures in court.