Roblox, the wildly popular online gaming platform boasting nearly 400 million monthly users, is facing its most turbulent period to date. In recent weeks, the company has been rocked by lawsuits, international bans, a plunging stock price, and a high-profile user ban that has captured the attention of millions. At the center of this storm is a 22-year-old Texan known online as “Schlep,” whose efforts to confront child predators on the platform have made him both a hero to some and a rule-breaker to others.
The controversy reached a fever pitch on August 15, 2025, when streamers in Utah staged a #FreeSchlep protest outside the state capitol. With signs and live broadcasts, they rallied tens of thousands of viewers in support of Schlep, who had been permanently banned from Roblox. The protest was just one flashpoint in a saga that has seen the company’s leadership, safety policies, and even its CEO come under intense scrutiny.
Schlep’s story is as unusual as his chosen moniker—a Yiddish word meaning “a long, laborious, tedious journey.” According to JTA, Schlep became well-known among diehard Robloxers for his practice of identifying suspected child predators, luring them into private chats, and sometimes facilitating their offline arrests. He and his supporters argue that these actions filled a gap left by Roblox’s own moderation, keeping children safe where the company allegedly failed.
But Roblox saw things differently. In early August, the company ordered Schlep to stop his activities and banned him for violating its rules. The company’s statement proved especially controversial, as it seemed to equate Schlep and his collaborators with the very predators they sought to expose. “Similar to actual predators, they often impersonated minors, actively approached other users, then tried to lead them to other platforms to have sexually explicit conversations (which is against our Terms of Use),” Roblox said. Schlep was quick to respond, posting on X (formerly Twitter) that he and his team “use the same tactics that the FBI, ICAC, and local police departments use in their own operations to catch predators.”
The backlash was swift and widespread. Not only did the #Schlep hashtag trend across social media, but one of Roblox’s most popular creators began selling shirts emblazoned with Schlep’s name. Meanwhile, Schlep announced plans to sue Roblox, and the company’s stock price took a hit, dropping more than 7% in the week of August 11-15, according to Yahoo Finance. Analysts pointed to the mounting controversies—including the ban, multiple lawsuits, and international restrictions—as key reasons for the decline.
Roblox’s troubles extend far beyond the Schlep affair. The state of Louisiana recently filed a lawsuit alleging that Roblox failed to protect children from online predators, and California joined in with roughly 300 legal actions. The platform’s popularity with younger audiences—one of its greatest strengths—has become a liability as concerns about child safety have grown. In response to these issues, Rep. Ro Khanna of California launched a petition urging Roblox to “do more to protect children.”
Internationally, the pressure is mounting. Qatar banned Roblox outright in August 2025, following similar moves by Turkey, Oman, and China in recent years. According to ALBAWABA, Jordan is reportedly considering a ban as well, though as of August 17, users could still download the game. The bans are largely driven by fears of explicit content, exploitation, and concerns over in-game currency spending. Calls for a ban have even reached the United States, though no official action has been taken.
Roblox’s moderation practices have come under particular fire. While watchdogs like the Anti-Defamation League have acknowledged the platform’s relatively robust content standards—citing the removal of a user-created Nazi gas chamber simulation in 2022—others argue that the company is too slow to act. In June 2025, after the FBI arrested a man allegedly using Roblox to plan a terrorist attack, videos of Nazi simulations circulated widely on social media. Schlep himself tweeted, “Just so you guys know the game those screenshots were taken in is a known extremist/nazi hub. Roblox has allowed it for years.”
The company’s leadership is also feeling the heat. A petition calling for the resignation of Roblox CEO David Baszucki, started on August 9, has garnered over 100,000 signatures. The petition accuses Roblox of failing to protect minors, being slow to remove predators, and relying too heavily on automated moderation that sometimes punishes innocent players. It also alleges that the company has retaliated against community members who speak out and ignored calls for reform.
Roblox has defended its actions, with Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman stating in an August 16 video that vigilante activity like Schlep’s “put the community at greater risk.” The company sent Schlep a cease and desist notice, threatening legal action if he did not stop what it called “unauthorized and harmful activities.” Roblox’s legal team also argued that Schlep violated community guidelines by impersonating a child and sharing personal user data.
The story has now drawn the attention of Chris Hansen, the well-known host of “To Catch a Predator.” On August 15, Hansen posted on social media that he was investigating exploitation on Roblox, stating, “We are deep into it, I’ve already interviewed law enforcement investigators, and victims of this horrible activity.” Schlep publicly thanked Hansen, writing, “Thanks Chris, you’re going to help so many kids doing this.”
Despite the turmoil, Roblox’s user base remains enormous, and some of its games—like “Grow a Garden”—have reached new heights, with over 21 million peak concurrent users earlier in 2025, even surpassing Fortnite. Yet, the company’s future is now clouded by uncertainty. While many experiences remain popular, the ongoing legal and safety controversies have raised serious questions about Roblox’s ability to protect its youngest users and maintain the trust of parents, governments, and investors alike.
For his part, Schlep seems undeterred. “No matter how it gets painted, me and my team got six predators arrested within the Roblox community in under a year,” he wrote on X. “I sleep well at night knowing these people will not be able to abuse anymore children on Roblox. My work will always have amounted to something.”
As Roblox navigates this crisis, the company faces a critical test of its values, leadership, and capacity to adapt. The outcome could shape not only the future of the platform, but also the broader conversation about child safety and accountability in the fast-evolving world of online gaming.
