Content Warning: This article contains descriptive language of self harm and suicide.
Following a wave of outrage, Roblox has come into question by many concerned parents. I would like to use this article as a chance to map out the ongoing controversies and come to a reasonable judgement. These topics often get sensationalized. It would be too easy to just write a hit piece (which many others have already done), I want to dive deep to provide readers with a nuanced perspective.
One important voice speaking out comes from the YouTuber Schlep, who has spoken about his own experience getting groomed by a Roblox developer when he was younger.
"The conversations started out normal. It went on normal for a while, but as time progressed, he began getting more and more open as in how he would communicate with me. He would talk more graphic, talk about porn and sex, stuff like that." (Video A, 37:10)
Not only did the predator go after Schlep, but many others. I think parents should recognize that many predators on the internet are not the usual, impulsive decision makers that end up on TV Shows like To Catch a Predator.
"Even now, I've never met someone so manipulative. The people who were also victimized by this guy, also say the exact same thing." (Video A, 38:50)
Later, it began to escalate. This experience led to Schlep attempting suicide at 15. Since then, now at 22 years old, Schlep has done a lot of sincere, good work towards combating predators on online platforms.
"I got in touch with a predator catcher and he showed me how to predator catch. I researched the laws and within 10 months me and my team got six child predators within the Roblox community arrested." (Video A, 1:29:15)
I encourage readers to listen to Schlep's interview with Shawn Ryan. It is a little long, but it is an enlightening perspective. Much of the information I am spelling out here is coming from that interview along with a few articles and personal experience.
Later on, Roblox sent a cease and desist letter to Schlep and deleted all of his Roblox accounts. They claimed he "failed to report suspicious activity to Roblox through proper channels," when it was simply the opposite. He sent all of the files over to both law enforcement and Roblox, including physical documents shipped to Roblox. This is incredibly disturbing, especially when you consider he got six arrests that led to two convictions. It's as if Roblox was more concerned about their public reputation getting tarnished than actually protecting vulnerable people on their platform. While I may understand why a company wouldn't want a third party to perform unsanctioned predator catches on their platform (while being unaffiliated with law enforcement), this response when put in the full context is alarming.
The games themselves that Roblox hosts are also in question. Some games allow players to replicate tragic events, like the Uvalde or Sandy Hook school shootings. There are chat room games that bypass the typical Roblox chat restrictions and, as expected, they are full of predators. I want to make it clear that most games on Roblox are perfectly fine, but there is definitely a pattern of smaller, niche games that break the terms of service and exist for weeks without being taken down. Parents can look at their child's game history to see what games they have been playing. Another concern raised is that private direct messages between players get erased when you unfriend the other player, this allows predators to wipe their history when they feel it's necessary.
Schlep also criticizes Tami Bhaumik, the Vice President of Civility and Partnerships.
"A lot of the negative press has come from things that have happened five years ago. Roblox has always prioritized safety, and we continue to iterate over time." — Tami Bhaumik (Variety)
Obviously, there have been many more recent examples than five years ago. There is a consistent pattern of Roblox executives downplaying the issues on their platform. One of the worst examples of this is when the CEO framed the recent issues with predators as an "opportunity."
"We think of it not necessarily just as a problem, but an opportunity as well. How do we allow young people to build, communicate, and hang out together? How do we build the future of communication at the same time? So we've been, I think in a good way, working on this ever since we started." (TheGamer)
To be brutally honest, some of this has been blown out of proportion in terms of the scale of the issue. No one, especially a concerned parent, wants to hear this when they encounter a few dozen horrific stories. Roblox averages 20-30 million plus concurrent users, an incredible player count compared to virtually any other gaming platform, with few exceptions such as Steam and Fortnite. Will a major platform always have cases of online predators?
Parents must ask themselves: how many horror stories are enough to prevent your child from playing a popular game like Roblox? Would you be resented by your child for forcing them off a platform that all of their peers use? I don't have the answers to those questions, you must answer them for your own family. The risk is clearly there. Whatever the case, I do believe that Roblox's responses have been unacceptable and parents need to know the potential risks. Parents can, at the very least, keep a closer eye on their child's internet activity. This can involve monitoring their friends list, only allowing them to play games in the same room as you, and implementing parental controls. It's also worth mentioning that much of the predatory behavior happens after the victim is convinced to move to a different platform, like Discord or Snapchat.
Much of the responses to recent controversy by Roblox are absolutely disingenuous. Yes, the corporation seems more concerned with their own legal liabilities and ongoing lawsuits than simply accepting responsibility for the harm they enabled on their platform. At the same time, they have increased their chat moderation efforts, including their recent addition of age and identity verification to access the in-game chat. That change has sparked backlash broadly in the Roblox community, who believe it went too far. The change isn't perfect by any means, including data privacy concerns evident in the recent data breach of Persona.
As of March 23, 2026, Roblox (RBLX) is roughly worth $40 billion on the New York Stock Exchange. The largest shareholders are David Baszucki (CEO and founder), BlackRock, Fidelity, and Vanguard. Fortunately for Roblox shareholders, they have beaten their recent Q3 and Q4 earnings reports in spite of controversy.
In a world where institutions fail victims and their families, it is largely up to the family itself to look after each other. An outright ban on Roblox in your household isn't necessary, but it would work. A more nuanced approach, where you monitor your child's activity without hovering to the point of resentment, might be the middle path.
