Kentucky sues Roblox, calling it 'a playground for predators who seek to harm our children'

The US state of Kentucky has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, which Kentucky attorney general Russell Coleman says "has become a playground for predators who seek to harm our children." Roblox has denied the allegations, telling PC Gamer that it "has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication" and rolled out more than 100 safety features on the platform in 2025 alone.

The complaint alleges that Roblox Corporation "repeatedly assure[s] parents and the public that Roblox is safe for its user base of minors," but that it is in fact "a hunting ground for child predators," who are able to operate with near impunity because of company's refusal to implement "basic safety controls" or even accurately inform users and parents of the dangers on the platform.

"These dangers are not trivial," the complaint states. "They range from child predators acting along to international organizations—lined with terrorist groups—that are dedicated to child sexual exploitation and self-harm."

"Our children are not safe on Roblox," Coleman said in a press release. "Predators and criminals aren't just lurking in the platform's shadows; they've been allowed to commit their crimes out in the open. For years, Roblox has ignored this crisis so it could continue turning a profit. Our responsibility is to protect Kentucky children from online exploitation by these predators and the companies like Roblox that knowingly facilitate it."

The Kentucky lawsuit was filed two months after a similar action taken by the state of Louisiana. Liz Murrill, the attorney general for Louisiana, said "it's basically open season for sex predators on this platform" when announcing her state's lawsuit against Roblox, and she expressed support for the Kentucky suit in a message posted on X.

"Glad to see my friend, Russell Coleman, join me in recognizing what I've been saying all along: Roblox is dangerous for children," Murrill wrote. "We will not stand idly by while this company exploits children to make billions in profit."

A Roblox spokesperson denied Kentucky's allegations in a statement provided to PC Gamer, saying that it is "constantly innovating and investing in safety."

"We welcome the opportunity for a direct conversation with the Attorney General, as we do with other policymakers," the rep said. "The attorney general's lawsuit is based on outdated and out-of-context information. We believe together we can increase safety not just on Roblox, but on all platforms used by kids and teens. The AG's office is partnering with plaintiff's attorneys, who we believe have misrepresented matters to seek financial gain.

"Roblox has taken an industry-leading stance on age-based communication and will require facial age estimation for all Roblox users who access our communications features by the end of this year. Roblox does not allow image sharing via chat, and most chat on Roblox is subject to filters designed to block the sharing of personal information. We constantly monitor all communication for critical harms and swiftly remove violative content when detected and work closely with law enforcement."

Roblox is massively popular—the platform recently put up more concurrent players over a weekend than the entirety of Steam—but, spurred by high-profile failures to address the presence of abusers, it's also come under increasing pressure over the past year to step up its child safety guardrails.

Roblox has taken a number of steps to address those complaints more recently, including the use of "facial age estimation technology," new limits on communications between users, and a crackdown on "unrated games," but some of its proposed policies have resulted in pushback from advocacy groups who say that new restrictions on so-called "sensitive issues" risks teaching its users "that issues of justice and equality are controversial opinions rather than universal values, thereby reinforcing the very divisions it claims to guard against."