Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, R, has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, calling the popular gaming platform the “website of choice for child predators.” In the complaint, Coleman accuses Roblox of knowingly creating a hunting ground for exploitation, alleging that the company’s actions have led to widespread victimization of children across Kentucky.
“Our children are not safe on Roblox,” Coleman said. “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.”
Coleman is seeking monetary damages under Kentucky state law, with potential penalties reaching up to $2,000 for each alleged violation.
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Kentucky attorney general files lawsuit
The lawsuit, filed in state court and announced on Wednesday, highlights Roblox’s expansive reach. Coleman said roughly two-thirds of U.S. children between ages 9 and 12 use the platform in some capacity, an audience that makes Roblox one of the most widely used digital playgrounds in the country.
“Get your kids off Roblox,” he said. “Do it today.”
In a statement to CBS News, Roblox said, “At this time, we have had no contact from the Attorney General’s office regarding our platform or safety features, but we welcome a direct conversation with the AG’s office and all policymakers to ensure they have a clear understanding of all Roblox is doing to keep users safe.”
The company said the claims, however, are not only outdated, but based on sensationalism and information taken out of context.
A parent’s perspective
Kentucky resident Courtney Norris, a mom of three, spoke about how she’s trying to keep the web safe for her children.
“I thought I was doing everything right, monitoring devices, setting limits, having open dialogue with my kids,” she said.
Like many parents, Norris thought Roblox was safe for her kids because of how its marketing to caregivers creates an illusion of safety.
“The reality is, Roblox makes it nearly impossible to police as a parent,” Norris said. “It breaks my heart to hear of another tragedy linked to this platform.”
For many families, the blocky, imaginative world of Roblox serves as a place for creativity, learning and social connection. But Kentucky’s 68-page complaint paints a different picture. Behind the bright visuals and family-friendly branding, the filing claims, lies a system knowingly designed without meaningful safeguards, allowing predators to find and exploit young users.
“This is not happening in the shadows,” Coleman said. “This vile conduct and the criminals behind it have been allowed to exist right there in the open where innocent children think they’re just playing a cartoon game.”
Disturbing content and lack of oversight
Coleman also highlighted recent incidents that illustrate Roblox’s ongoing moderation challenges.
At a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Coleman said that after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, simulators appeared on Roblox that exposed minors to graphic depictions of the shooting.
Some users accessing the content were as young as 5 years old, Coleman said, highlighting what he described as the platform’s ongoing failure to protect its youngest players.
Failure to warn parents and children
According to the lawsuit, Roblox could “at any moment, place barriers between their unwitting child user base … and the monstrous criminals lurking on Roblox,” but instead “continues, as it has done for almost two decades, to allow children to create accounts without informed parental consent.”
Coleman claims that Roblox violated Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act, arguing that the company failed to adequately warn parents and children about the risks of using the platform.
The lawsuit paints a picture of what it describes as “an online environment in which child predators thrive,” citing cases in which extremist “sextortion” groups, including one called 764, allegedly used Roblox to “recruit, groom, extort, threaten and even conspire to kill children as young as eight years old.”
Earlier this year, a 25-year-old in Kentucky pleaded guilty to federal charges, including child enticement, distribution of child sexual abuse material and conspiracy to commit murder. According to federal prosecutors, he used the sextortion group 764 to meet minors online with the goal of obtaining sexually explicit content.
Predators exploit Robux and other features
Kentucky’s complaint also alleges that Roblox’s internal economy — a virtual currency known as Robux — is routinely exploited by predators “as an enticement when grooming or otherwise exploiting vulnerable children.”
It argues that the company’s financial model, which relies heavily on child players purchasing or earning Robux, gives predators powerful leverage to manipulate minors.
While Roblox says it operates “a human co-experience platform” meant to foster creativity and connection, the state argues “players find themselves in violent or sexual situations within the Roblox universe,” often without their parents’ knowledge.
What does Roblox do to protect children?
Roblox has recently outlined efforts to improve safety across its platform. The company says it has removed millions of inappropriate usernames, avatar items and unrated experiences. Roblox also highlights initiatives like new parental controls, community safety councils and a teen advisory board to provide input on policies and products.
The company frames these measures as part of an ongoing effort to create “the safest place on the internet” for users of all ages, noting it has implemented more than 100 safety updates since January 2025.
The gaming platform said it combines AI tools with thousands of safety experts who monitor the platform daily for potential threats, including illegal activity or violent behavior. When concerns arise, Roblox investigates and reports them to law enforcement or organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The platform also has safeguards designed for younger users, such as age verification for unfiltered chats and strict filters on public conversations to prevent sharing personal information.
Beyond technology, Roblox engages with its community and law enforcement. The company encourages reporting problems through its built-in tools rather than relying on outside vigilante efforts, which it says can make situations worse.
