Roblox child safety and public rights concerns

 Ashlie A. Slocum 

Western Oregon University 

COMM:326

Instructor: Dr. Matthew D. Schroder

May 13, 2026

Roblox child safety and public rights concerns. 

Roblox is a prominently children-focused gaming platform. According to Roblox Official Website

, “Roblox is free to play and safe for kids aged 5+.” The company was founded in 2004 by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel. Recently, however, the company has faced backlash because of several lawsuits involving child safety concerns. The earliest major lawsuits date back to April 2025.

Abstract Thesis. 

Our government should be stepping in to consider and introduce bills to restrict Roblox's use of AI age restrictions and lack of accountability for holding a space for child predators. Roblox treats these forums and chats as though they are public space and should be held to the same restrictions of a public space. By holding this space for predators they are hosting a space for harassment, grooming and child exploitation. 

According to Hillard Law (2025):

“ April 2025:

The first Roblox child sex abuse lawsuits are filed. Each claims that Roblox Corporation has taken insufficient measures to protect young users from child sexual offenders, alleging that the gaming platform’s failures are so consistent and severe that it amounts to negligence and liability.”(Hillard Law, 2025).

Roblox is not quiet about the fact that its main demographic is children, reporting millions of daily users worldwide. Statistics published by Statista

 show that over 40% of Roblox’s user base is 16 years old or younger. These numbers are based only on self-reported ages, meaning the actual percentage could be even higher.

Although the broader public only recently became widely aware of these issues, reports and allegations surrounding Roblox had circulated for years. Smaller articles discussed cases dating back to 2018. One report stated:

“These enhanced measures come after mounting legal scrutiny and public outcry, with more than 30 child predator arrests linked to the platform since 2018. Given that approximately 40% of Roblox’s users are under the age of 13, these changes aim to address lawsuits filed across several U.S. states,” (OH!Epic, 2025).

Online vigilantism surrounding the issue has also grown significantly. “Predator hunting” on Roblox has become its own category on YouTube, where creators investigate alleged grooming and exploitation occurring on the platform.

In 2025, YouTuber Andrew, known online as “Schlep,” was reportedly banned from Roblox and threatened with lawsuits because of his activism. Schlep became known for organizing sting operations targeting predators who used Roblox to prey on minors. According to reports, these investigations resulted in six arrests that were heavily documented on his YouTube channel. His YouTube following and the outrage of his account banning on Roblox only highlighted the issue further. 

The controversy surrounding Roblox CEO David Baszucki’s 2025 interview with The New York Times reveals how online platforms increasingly function as private regulators of speech, forcing society to reconsider how free expression, child safety, and digital communication should be balanced in modern capitalist American life.

Many people have begun questioning whether the government should step in to regulate platforms that appear increasingly difficult to control.

In 2025, Baszucki appeared on Hard Fork, a technology podcast produced by The New York Times, where he was questioned about Roblox’s safety systems and reports of predators or inappropriate interactions occurring on the platform. Many listeners believed his responses minimized the seriousness of child sexual abuse allegations or treated safety concerns too casually.

Journalists and lawyers have also argued that many AI moderation systems are unreliable. Broader reports claim that users can bypass age verification systems using AI-generated images, fictional characters, or video game avatars.

Although Roblox is a private company and is not bound by the First Amendment in the same way as the government, the platform functions as a major communication space for millions of users. Because of this, AI moderation systems effectively shape digital expression by determining what users can say, who they can interact with, and which features they can access. This reflects a broader issue in modern free speech debates, where private technology companies increasingly regulate communication. Allegedly without bias of capital gain. 

The First Amendment primarily protects citizens from government censorship rather than restrictions imposed by private companies. Because Roblox is privately owned, it possesses broad authority to moderate communication, remove content, and implement AI-powered age verification systems. Legally, users do not possess an absolute First Amendment right to unrestricted speech on Roblox. However, the controversy surrounding Roblox’s moderation systems demonstrates how private corporations increasingly control digital expression in spaces that function similarly to public forums. The first amendment reads:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (National Archives, 2026)

Although the Civil Rights Movement primarily focused on racial equality, its broader principles of equal participation and protection from intimidation remain relevant in digital spaces today. Online harassment, grooming, and sexual exploitation can create hostile environments that discourage vulnerable users from participating freely in online communities. From this perspective, Roblox’s AI moderation and unsecured safety systems may be interpreted as a failure to adequately protect a platform specifically marketed toward children. This reflects a broader tension within free speech debates: unrestricted expression may sometimes enable harmful conduct that ultimately silences or excludes victims of online abuse.

If any real-life children’s space openly allowed unrestricted adult communication with children without effective oversight or safeguards, society would likely view that environment as dangerous. Concerns surrounding child exploitation, trafficking, and grooming would quickly emerge. The fact that these issues become less clear when discussing digital spaces and video games demonstrates how society is still struggling to adapt traditional understandings of safety and free speech to online environments.

References (APA 7)

Hillard Law. (2025). Roblox child sex abuse lawsuits filed against Roblox Corporation. Hillard Law

OH!Epic. (2025). Roblox expands child safety amid predator lawsuits and arrests. OH!Epic Article

Statista. (2025). Distribution of Roblox users worldwide by age group. Statista Statistics

National Archives. (2026). Bill of Rights transcript

. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration