The company’s actions were met with major backlash from many online communities who viewed Schlep’s actions as necessary for community policing. This has also prompted multiple Roblox-affiliated content creators of the Roblox Video Stars Program to leave the platform as protest. Roblox Corporation’s letter stated that the activities of Schlep and other vigilante streamers were a violation of the platform’s terms of service and created an unsafe environment for users. In August 2025, Roblox Corporation issued a cease-and-desist letter to Schlep, a YouTuber prominent for conducting sting operations against alleged online predators via the platform, which has resulted in multiple arrests.
In January 2026, Kazakh MP Unzila Shapak proposed that the Kazakh government take action regarding Roblox’s operations in the country, citing problems such as pedophilia and the presence of scammers requesting personal information from minors as being a problem. Subsequently, the General Directorate of Internal Affairs of the City of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan issued a statement recommending that parents restrict minors’ access to the platform. Additionally, it was indicated that the platform was originally excluded from the original Online Safety Act that banned social media for minors, but following the reports, it was decided to implement protocols for platforms such as Roblox, to be applied from March 2026.
Safer gaming is a cornerstone of the digital safety movement. Here’s how to achieve it
A toxic reputation can become a kiss of death for an online title. On the other hand, men reported significantly higher rates of insults or name-calling (64%) compared to women (47%). At Besedo, we care deeply about trust, safety, and user experience. Each console and platform offers unique controls, so be sure to review options specific to the device your child uses. You can activate it today and start protecting your kids’ online activities. This balance helps keep gaming fun and healthy without sacrificing other important activities.
May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Game ratings and content descriptors can vary by country. Ratings systems also give additional information on features, like in-game purchasing. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). Download presentations, tip sheets, lesson plans, and other safety resources.
Certain platforms let you receive alerts when your child gets direct messages from other players, allowing you to catch potential issues early. Knowing the ins and outs of the games your child plays gives you a clearer sense of the content, the people they’re interacting with, and potential risks. Most major gaming platforms have player and family or parental controls that make it easy to create and manage family accounts. When using EA’s online services, you can play, chat and, in some cases, share other content with players including friends. Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against Roblox two days later, claiming the platform „makes children easy prey for pedophiles” and „fails to implement reasonable and readily available safety measures”. On December 18, 2025, the Attorney General of Tennessee Jonathan Skrmetti would sue Roblox for misleading parents about child safety, saying that „Roblox is the digital equivalent of a creepy cargo van lingering at the edge of a playground”.
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That month, Iraq also banned the game, citing child safety and its incompatibility with „social values and traditions”. The minister emphasized that he had entered into talks with Roblox representatives in Southeast Asia and that one of the main topics of conversation was the stabbing incident that occurred in Johor that same month and how the platform has been hosting inappropriate games for minors in Malaysia. During the same period, Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysia’s communications minister, had previously confirmed to local media in October that he had noticed the platform was being used to promote violence among minors and personally banned his children from using it. In August 2025, Indonesia requested that Roblox strengthen its chat filters to remove harmful content and enhance child safety, warning that failure to comply could result in a ban. Shapak also pointed out that the platform had highly addictive elements marketed to minors, which could expose them to sexual or violent material at an early age and create certain dependencies to electronic devices. These decisions were made by the Australian government after receiving several reports of child grooming, where it was noted that the security measures imposed by the platform were not sufficient to protect minors.
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Of course, implementing this kind of system isn’t plug-and-play. “A safer user experience leads to more enjoyment, stronger communities, and ultimately, more engagement and revenue,” he adds. Apostolos explains that smarter workflows, automated and tiered by severity, allow platforms to respond faster and more fairly. AI can also adapt to evolving language, subcultures, and slang much better than rule-based systems.” However, words and isolated features aren’t enough if enforcement is inconsistent or a company’s stance isn’t communicated to the player base.
Roblox had previously clarified to the Federal Government of São Paulo that its monetization model was not abusive and that minors had previously consented to the platform monetizing their content. Meanwhile, in 2024, the Mexico City Cyber Police and the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SCC) also reported that Roblox was being used to promote criminal activity such as the distribution of drugs and illicit substances to minors in the Mexican capital. In the same month, Sarah El Haïry, the High Commissioner for Children (Haute-commissaire à l’Enfance), publicly stated that issues such as pedophilia and sexual harassment on the platform were causing concern among French regulators. In January 2026, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) launched investigations to probe whether the platform was safe in the European Union after multiple reports and lawsuits claiming that the platform was a danger to minors. In February 2026, the Egyptian Supreme Council for Media Regulation passed a statement banning access to Roblox, with concerns being „internet and social media use among children”. In addition, members of Bahrain’s parliament also began drafting a bill to ban Roblox in the country following concerns about child safety.
Hindenburg Research cited a similar game, Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe, as one of the reasons Roblox is an „X-rated pedophile hellscape”. He stated in July 2025 that Roblox could serve as an effective online dating platform and that it could help lonely people meet in real life. Roblox has rejected claims made by these organizations, alleging that they were highlighting rare instances and that their promotion only served to further an agenda of causing others to sell stock. The developer would later be sentenced to 15 years in prison for paying an Uber driver to drive a 15-year-old child from Indiana to his home state of New Jersey for sex. Although his account was terminated, he transferred the game to a friend’s account and continued to make money from the game.
- Knowing the ins and outs of the games your child plays gives you a clearer sense of the content, the people they’re interacting with, and potential risks.
- Ratings systems also give additional information on features, like in-game purchasing.
- Investigative journalism YouTube channel People Make Games accused the platform of „exploiting” younger game developers by promising them large amounts of money from creating games, only to apply high revenue cuts and leaving creators with little to no income.
- What are the most important parental control settings for safe online gaming?
- The end goal isn’t to play nanny or ruin the fun – it’s to cultivate communities where all players can have fun without fear of harassment.
- According to the Anti-Defamation League’s 2023 report, 76% of adult gamers reported similar harassment experiences.
She also requested that the game’s PG rating be reviewed again by the Australian Classification Board, where it was noted that the platform hosted games intended for adults. The system requires users to either upload an ID to verify their exact age or perform a facial scan via Persona to place a person into an estimated age group. On November 18, 2025, Roblox announced that all forms of in-game chat and experiences rated „18+” on the platform would be locked behind an age verification system. In October 2025, Roblox planned revenue changes in order to expand child safety and moderation which caused the stock of the company to fall by 15 percent, though the company stated they expect a rising third quarter capital after the changes are made.
As of August 2025update, the corporation is facing several lawsuits in the United States for alleged failures to protect children. Poki Kids is an online playground specially created for young players. We guard against gamers attempting to move the conversation away from the protected gaming platform to discord or other messaging apps. “If users have a bad experience, whether it’s harassment in a game, scams on a marketplace, or hate speech on a social platform, retention becomes nearly impossible.
At what age should I allow my child to play games online? There are different ways to enhance and manage your and your family’s experience when playing games online. On March 4, 2026, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the platform of becoming a „playground” for child predators and misleading parents and guardians about the safety precautions taken on the platform. In April 2025, Florida attorney general James Uthmeier sent a subpoena to Roblox about uses of the platform by users age 16 and under as well as the platform’s protections for children against „mature content”.
Additionally, Roblox has been criticized for its use of microtransactions, advergames, and brand ambassadors, as well as for the cubet alleged financial exploitation of child game developers. Some users have taken to online vigilantism to catch potential child predators; Roblox Corporation has faced significant controversy after taking legal action against some of these users. Child exploitation groups such as 764 and CVLT have operated on Roblox to groom children, and at least 30 people have been arrested since 2018 in the United States for abducting or sexually abusing children they had groomed on the platform.
- Many gamers adapt by muting voice chats, avoiding random matchmaking, or playing only with friends.
- Players linked with a trusted connection would have chat filters removed between each other, specifically in hopes that users would be less likely to leave Roblox for platforms they did not moderate, but could only be accessed after using an AI-based age verification system using facial recognition.
- Take time to set these limits, ensuring that you have control over what’s purchased and who can connect with your child.
- We detect manipulative behaviors by perpetrators to exploit children, often through shared interests.
- While some communities place age limits to prevent users from joining, applications obtained by Rolling Stone for players to „work” in adjacent sexual games on the platform showed that the large majority of users in these communities were under 15.
- Between 2023 and 2024, the Public Ministry of Labor (Ministério Público do Trabalho) of Sao Paulo launched an investigation into monetization on the platform and how the American company was taking advantage of young developers in Brazil, where the company did not provide them with proper payment for their work.
The kids aren’t alright
Teens who pass the age test would be able to add anyone aged 13 through 17 as a trusted connection without restriction, though users over 18 years old would need to use a QR code or phone number to add verified teen users. In October 2020, the Roblox Corporation reported employing approximately 1,600 full-time employees dedicated to content moderation. In-game mechanics for self-expression such as user avatars, item decorations, and spray paint tools were also identified as being used to spread extremist and hateful imagery. One high-profile group in Roblox, called „The Senate and People of Rome”, outlawed „race-mixing, feminism” and homosexuality, while also requiring another player, who was Jewish, to wear a „Judea tunic or be arrested on sight”. Investigative journalism YouTube channel People Make Games accused the platform of „exploiting” younger game developers by promising them large amounts of money from creating games, only to apply high revenue cuts and leaving creators with little to no income. In April 2022, Truth in Advertising filed a complaint against Roblox with the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising, mainly failing to disclose when advertising is present, such as with advergames and brand ambassadors.
For messages outside the gaming platform, like on Discord, enabling notifications on those accounts can offer additional oversight. Games often have customizable settings that allow you to control in-game spending and restrict who can interact with your child. Strong, unique passwords are essential to protecting your child’s gaming accounts from hackers. Games downloaded from shady sources can contain harmful content or malware, so stick to platforms that provide clear content ratings and descriptions. For kids ages 8 to 17, that adds up to an average of 1.5 to 2 hours each day spent gaming.
In September 2025, Núcleo Jornalismo launched an investigation into Roblox content aimed at children in Brazil with the support of academics and researchers from various universities in São Paulo. Users have been documented evading Roblox content and chat moderation to perform sexual content by taking activity offsite to other social media platforms, especially Discord. The European video game content rating system PEGI classifies the game as „parental guidance recommended”, while prior to September 2022 it classified the game as „suitable for 7 years and over”.
The platform is made to appeal to a family-friendly audience, and has been described as a massively multiplayer online game (MMO). The games featured on Roblox vary in genre, from role-playing games to ones centered around escaping prison, among others. Games can be created by any user through the platform’s game engine, Roblox Studio, and then be shared to and played by other players.
All participants confirmed they are active players participating in online multiplayer games. Conversely, players are willing to spend more in games that feel safe – one analysis found gamers spend 54% more on titles they perceive as “non-toxic”. If platforms clearly enforce rules against harassment, players will reward them with loyalty, more engagement, and increased spending.
While Roblox is free-to-play, it features a virtual currency known as „Robux” that can be purchased with real-world money. We’re passionate about making sure it’s a super safe environment for kids to play and enjoy themselves. We watch for any act of targeting, or verbally attacking or intimidating your child. See all your child’s activity in one place. “GameSafe is a parent’s best friend in the digital age.”
