Florida’s attorney general has filed a sweeping lawsuit against Roblox Corp., accusing the popular online gaming platform of misleading parents and exposing children to serious harm by failing to implement basic safety protections, according to a complaint filed in state court.
The 76-page complaint, lodged in the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Baker County, alleges that Roblox has built its global success by marketing itself as a safe, educational digital playground for children while knowingly allowing predators to use the platform to groom, exploit, and abuse minors. The lawsuit claims Florida children have been coerced into sharing explicit images and, in some cases, have been physically abducted and assaulted by individuals they first encountered through Roblox.
At the center of the complaint is the state’s assertion that Roblox prioritized user growth and revenue over child safety. The platform allegedly allows adults and children to interact freely without meaningful age verification or parental consent at signup, making it easy for adults to pose as minors and contact young users. The attorney general argues these design choices violate the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by misrepresenting the platform’s safety and concealing known risks from parents and caregivers.
The complaint further alleges that Roblox failed for years to deploy readily available safeguards, such as robust age verification, stronger content moderation, and effective parental controls. Investigators cited the presence of sexually explicit content and games referencing real-world crimes involving child exploitation that were accessible to young users. Independent testers, the state says, were quickly exposed to sexualized interactions after creating accounts that appeared to belong to children.
In addition to state consumer protection law, the lawsuit raises concerns under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, arguing that Roblox collected and processed children’s personal data without proper parental consent and safeguards. The filing claims Roblox had actual knowledge that children under 13 regularly use the platform, including by entering false birthdates to bypass limited protections.
The attorney general is seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, restitution, and court-ordered changes to Roblox’s practices in Florida. The complaint calls for stronger child-safety measures, greater transparency around risks, and accountability for what it describes as years of deceptive conduct.
Roblox did not immediately respond to the allegations in the filing. The case adds to mounting scrutiny of online platforms used by children and could have broader implications for how digital services balance growth, safety, and regulatory compliance in the gaming and social media sectors.
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