LINCOLN — Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers is suing online gaming platform Roblox to hold it “accountable for misleading Nebraska parents and children about the dangers” of the platform and steps the company took “to address those dangers.”

Hilgers laid out the lawsuit in a news conference Wednesday, saying Roblox, as designed, lacks the guardrails needed to help stop people who might prey on children, calling it “a playground for predators in Nebraska.” 

“One of the most important things that we do in this office is we protect kids,” Hilgers said. 

According to the lawsuit, Roblox “refused to take basic precautions needed to make that ‘virtual playground’ safe. As a result, sexual predators have … used Roblox to groom and eventually abduct and sexually assault children … Rather than fixing the problem, Roblox launched a multiyear charm offensive designed to mislead Nebraska children and their parents into believing that Roblox is a ‘safe, moderated’ place. This included … falsely claiming that Roblox takes ‘every precaution possible’ to protect children.” 

Roblox is a free online gaming platform with roughly 150 million daily active users. It offers players millions of game modes created by users, from role-playing to action games and from playing dress-up to restricted games with more adult themes. Users can chat online to other players by voice or text. The gaming platform allows users as young as 5 years old to play, unlike some online gaming platforms, and says it uses chat monitoring and filters to block users from sharing personal information, such as phone numbers.

Hilgers said the “core” of Nebraska’s lawsuit is that Roblox misleads parents by saying it’s “one of the safest online environments” and that the company “takes every precaution possible” to protect younger players.

Hilgers said some Roblox user-made game modes and maps are problematic. He said there are — or were — maps where players could visit a fictional version of Jeffrey Epstein’s island, recreate school shootings, attend KKK rallies and enter virtual strip clubs. The AG said  the system is also easy to manipulate so adults can pretend to be younger and talk to minors, which he said can lead to grooming.

Roblox recently introduced mandatory age checks with AI-facial recognition software or scan a government-issued ID. Hilgers said that isn’t enough. 

The AG pointed to the lawsuit of an Adams County man who sued the platform for allegedly enabling a predator to groom him when he was a teen. His lawsuit argues he was sexually assaulted last year. That lawsuit is why Hilgers said the state filed the lawsuit in the Hastings area. The Adams County man’s lawsuit has since been transferred to the Northern District of California.

Nebraska taxpayers won’t pay for the lawsuit, Hilgers said, since the state is using outside counsel representing other states in suing the platform. Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Kentucky have sued Roblox as well. 

Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman sent a statement to the Examiner that said, “While we share Attorney General Hilgers’ commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online, we are disappointed that he has filed a lawsuit that fundamentally misrepresents how Roblox works.”

“We take swift action against anyone who violates our rules, and we work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and help hold bad actors accountable,” Kaufman said. “When it comes to safety, there is no finish line, and while no system can be perfect, our commitment to protecting our platform never wavers.” 

Hilgers said his office hasn’t compiled an exact number of how many Nebraska customers were “harmed” but has estimated it can be “pretty significant” based on the national number of users. 

The AG’s lawsuit asked the Hastings-based court to declare that Roblox had violated the Nebraska Consumer Protection Act and the Nebraska Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, as well as Nebraska common law. It sought civil penalties and punitive damages.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/03/04/nebraska-sues-roblox-for-what-ag-calls-enabling-child-exploitation-deceptive-safety-practices/