Roblox is usually considered a game for children, though people of all ages can and do play it. It houses thousands of different games, each (mostly) unique in its own way. Anyone can make a game, and being free to play, the game has reached many.
Recently, Roblox has come under fire for the safety of the children on their platform. This issue was always present, but more ignored since there were people trying to help stop this major problem.
The issue of child safety came into the spotlight starting when Roblox invited a developer that made predatory/inappropriate games to one of their new events called The Hatch. Users did not take kindly to this, and “#BoycottTheHatch” was trending, and developers of extremely popular games started pulling out of the event.
The Hatch was advertised to have more than 1,000 games at the start, but after the controversy, only 300 remained. The controversial developer was kicked out of the event, and after more boycotting, was banned.
This was not the start of the lawsuit, though it’s important to mention as they happened quite close to each other, potentially helping to spring off the larger controversy.
A Youtuber named Schlep was a big face in protecting the platform from predators, working with the police to arrest them. Schlep was regarded as a hero, and loved by the community. For some reason, Roblox decided to ban him.
Roblox claimed that Schlep violated their terms of service, and sent him a cease and desist letter, telling him he couldn’t keep making videos on Roblox and calling him a “vigilante,” despite him working with the police. They claimed he was participating in “unauthorized and harmful activities.”
The hashtag “#FreeSchlep” was prevalent everywhere, some Roblox developers adding the phrase to their game icons and thumbnails. Some popular Youtubers quit Roblox’s creator program and voiced their hatred for the platform’s actions.
Most thought that Roblox would revoke their decision, and free Schlep like so many users wanted them to. Instead, they doubled down. They continued to call Schlep a vigilante, attempting to explain why the ban took place and explaining how vigilantes can interfere with the law- even though Schlep was not a vigilante.
This didn’t go over well for them, as on Aug. 15, Liz Murrill, Louisiana attorney general, sued Roblox for lack of child safety. On the same day, Schlep announced his intention to sue and that he had hired lawyers.
Just looking up the phrase “Roblox Lawsuit” brings up hundreds of articles, some only hours old and filled with new horrible things coming out about the platform- and even new lawsuits. There are at least ten lawsuits currently charged against Roblox.
The CEO, David Baszucki, is being urged to step down from his position. He’s been at blame for a lot of issues, even announcing that Roblox will eventually become a dating site, much to the users’ dismay and confusion.
The game has even been banned in some countries due to concerns about child safety. Turkey and Iraq are the two that most recently banned the platform.
Roblox is certainly in some hot water, though their player count hasn’t quite suffered. Their reputation, though, will certainly never be the same.
