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On October 5, 2026, San Diego County sued mobile advertising company AppLovin Corporation in San Diego Superior Court. The County alleges that AppLovin’s ad technology put inappropriate ads, including adult dating, alcohol, vaping, cannabis, graphic sexual content and violence, into children’s gaming apps even when parental controls were on. It also alleges the company collected sensitive data from children’s devices. Everything below is an allegation. No court has ruled on it.
Who filed, and where
The plaintiff is the County of San Diego, not the City of San Diego. The County announced the case on October 5, 2026, alongside its new Consumer Fairness and Public Protection Unit. The suit, People v. AppLovin Corporation, is one of three lawsuits the unit launched that day. Bloomberg Law reported the same filing independently.
County Counsel Damon Brown said: “Our first three lawsuits filed today in San Diego Superior Court are proof positive that we have hit the ground running.” Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said: “People should be able to trust the products they buy, the apps their kids use and the companies they deal with.”
What the County alleges
Inappropriate ads in children’s apps
The County says AppLovin’s mobile advertising technology allowed ads for adult dating, alcohol, vaping, cannabis, graphic sexual content and violence to appear in children’s games despite parental controls.
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Data collection despite safeguards
The County alleges AppLovin collected sensitive information from children’s devices despite safeguards and opt-outs. It says this included information that could reveal where a child lives, attends school, or whether the child is asleep or awake.
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The County also alleges that AppLovin’s ad interfaces made ads difficult to skip or close. It says this inflated the interaction activity reported to advertisers, and therefore the clicks they could be charged for.
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Examples reported from the complaint
Insurance Journal, republishing Bloomberg reporting on October 6, described screenshots attached to the complaint. One showed an ad for a sexualized AI chatbot app inside a physics-based puzzle game. It appeared on an Android device set up for a six-year-old with Google parental controls enabled. Another showed cannabis gummies on a device with the same controls. The same report said the County alleges “fingerprinting” was used to get around tracking restrictions. These details come from secondary reporting, not from the complaint text itself.
What the County wants
The County brings claims under California’s False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law. It seeks injunctive relief, restitution and civil penalties. These are requests only, and no judge has granted any of them or found AppLovin liable.
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AppLovin’s side
No response from AppLovin to this specific lawsuit has appeared in the reporting reviewed. Insurance Journal noted that AppLovin’s policies say it does not “knowingly collect personal information from children or serve advertisements to children.” That is a general policy statement, not a rebuttal of each allegation. The County’s announcement describes AppLovin as reaching more than 1 billion daily active users worldwide, a figure it attributes to the company and which is not independently verified.
What is still unknown
- The case number and full complaint text. The County links the complaint, but the linked page did not load for review.
- Whether AppLovin will respond publicly or in court, and on what timeline.
- Any docket developments, rulings, or settlements.
What parents can take from this
The case is about alleged conduct by an ad-technology company, so nothing in it proves a particular app or setting is safe or unsafe. The reported screenshots do show a claim that parental controls alone did not keep adult ads off a child’s device. Until the allegations are tested in court, treat that as a claim, not a finding.
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