San Diego authorities sue AppLovin over explicit advertisements in mobile games

Authorities in San Diego County, California, have filed a lawsuit against mobile advertising technology company AppLovin, Game World Observer and Bloomberg reported. According to PPC Land and Seeking Alpha, the lawsuit alleges that the company showed explicit and adult advertisements to children on mobile devices. [1][2][4][6]

Game World Observer reported that county officials accuse AppLovin of illegally collecting data from children even when parental controls are turned on and ad tracking is banned. Officials state the company utilizes a tracking method called fingerprinting to determine where children live and study, as well as their sleep patterns. [1]

The lawsuit comes as part of action by a new consumer protection unit in San Diego, which has also launched lawsuits against Roblox and Polymaker, Yahoo Finance UK reported. AppLovin serves mobile app developers in the gaming sector with in-app bidding and advertising technology, having previously shifted focus away from internal game studios. [3][10]

Game World Observer and AD HOC NEWS noted that AppLovin is also involved in separate legal disputes, including a fight with Unity and private class action litigation. Game World Observer added that the claims in San Diego partially mirror allegations raised by short sellers in February 2025. [1][5]