Roblox Youngster Security Controversy Grows: Louisiana Sues Gaming Platform

Key Facts

Why Did Louisiana Sue Roblox?

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill introduced Thursday evening she filed a lawsuit towards Roblox in state court docket, alleging it fails to guard kids from predators. “Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety,” Murrill mentioned, accusing Roblox of missing correct security protocols. She mentioned some user-created video games which have existed on Roblox embrace titles like “Escape to Epstein Island, Diddy Party, and Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe.” Murrill mentioned police searched the house of a Livingston Parish, Louisiana man suspected of getting little one sexual abuse materials final month, alleging he was a Roblox person who possessed voice-altering know-how to make him sound like a younger feminine.

Who Is Roblox User Schlep?

Schlep is a 22-year-old Texas-based Roblox gamer and a YouTuber who has 850,000 subscribers. Many of his hottest movies, on which he has garnered tens of millions of views, depict him pursuing little one predators on the gaming platform. His hottest video, titled “Roblox Predator Gets Arrested!” depicts him, posing as a younger person, luring a person he met on Roblox to satisfy in actual life, the place he confronts the person with police. Schlep has claimed on X he has helped authorities arrest six Roblox customers who gave the impression to be little one predators. Over the weekend, Schlep posted what he says is a cease-and-desist discover from Roblox, notifying him his accounts are suspended due to actions together with “engaging in simulated child endangerment conversations,” “sharing or soliciting personally identifiable information” and “directing users to move conversations off platform,” all of which Roblox says violates its insurance policies. Schlep slammed Roblox’s Wednesday assertion in a thread on X, calling it “outrageous” to check actions taken by “vigilante” customers to little one predators. Schlep’s ban sparked anger from his supporters on-line, and on Wednesday evening, he shared an image on X of an in-game protest through which Roblox customers gathered and mentioned: “Free Schlep.” In a press launch Thursday, Schlep said he employed legal professional to defend him towards Roblox’s authorized motion. The launch mentioned Schlep was a sufferer of grooming on Roblox when he was a youngster by a person who despatched him violent and pornographic content material, alleging Roblox was unresponsive to his mom till she threatened authorized motion. The launch additionally claims Chris Hansen, a former “Dateline” correspondent who hosted its “To Catch a Predator” phase, has reached out to Schlep to collaborate on an upcoming documentary about little one security on Roblox.

Key Background

Roblox’s moderation insurance policies have lengthy confronted criticism, notably due to its giant base of younger customers. Roblox said in an earnings report in July it had 111.8 million each day energetic customers within the second quarter of 2025, 36% of whom have been customers beneath 13. In July 2024, a Bloomberg investigation discovered police within the United States had arrested a minimum of two dozen customers accused of exploiting minors by Roblox since 2018, seven of which have been up to now 13 months. The Bloomberg report cited nameless conversations with practically two dozen workers, together with one moderator who mentioned her crew receives tons of of reviews regarding little one security every single day, “far too many for her team to clear.” A Roblox spokesperson disputed these points to Bloomberg, stating it has a “robust pipeline” of security options and that “tens of millions of people of all ages have a safe and positive experience on Roblox every single day.” Last week, Roblox began rolling out an AI-powered moderation device to establish language in person chats that could possibly be indicators of kid exploitation.

Tangent

As Roblox’s vigilante-banning controversy has unfolded, the corporate has confronted a number of lawsuits over alleged little one predators on the gaming platform. On Aug. 4, a California household sued Roblox for negligence, alleging their 10-year-old daughter was kidnapped by a 27-year-old man she met by the sport. Police discovered her greater than 250 miles away from her residence, the lawsuit states, after the alleged predator directed her to share her deal with with him on Discord, a messaging platform common with players. The lawsuit says Roblox and Discord are “directly responsible” for the kidnapping, alleging the sufferer wouldn’t have been kidnapped if that they had “implemented even the most basic system of screening or age and identity verification, as well as other commonsense safety measures.” Following the lawsuit, a Roblox spokesperson instructed CBS News: “We dedicate substantial resources… to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including attempts to direct users off platform, where safety standards and moderation may be less stringent than ours.” A Texas man who says he was “groomed, extorted, and sexually abused by a man in his late thirties” when he was 11 years outdated sued Roblox in federal court docket Wednesday, accusing it of negligence.

Further Reading

Roblox’s Pedophile Problem (Bloomberg)

Roblox rolls out open-source AI system to protect kids from predators in chats (ABC News)