Consumer Rights Wiki

Roblox's problematic moderation: Difference between revisions

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Added more detail to the 'Consumer response' section, detailing the community's response to Schlep facing legal threats. I'm not sure if I cited X properly because the title of the page contains the whole Tweet, which doesn't display fully depending on how long it is, so when my browser had a '...' I also put that. I checked the HTML source code and the title has line breaks, but I decided not to include them.
 
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{{IncidentCargo
{{Incomplete}}<!-- Message for any fellow editors: I have tried my best to filter this information to be PG-13, however, the information you WILL find regarding Roblox's negligence with their moderation is something that will require taking a break here or there. I personally am desensitized to a lot, but even I have been needing to pause my edits just to recharge. - JamesTDG -->
|Company=Roblox
 
|Product=Roblox
Since [[Roblox]] launched in 2004, its moderation has been problematic for its consumers. From an obscene chat filter that has made communication on the platform difficult,<ref>{{Cite web |last=u/Gregheffley95 |date=Feb 26, 2021 |title=Roblox censors almost everything |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/roblox/comments/lsxpex/roblox_censors_almost_everything/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619214011/https://old.reddit.com/r/roblox/comments/lsxpex/roblox_censors_almost_everything/ |archive-date=Jun 19, 2023 |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Mar 7, 2017 |title=Why the hell are numbers censored! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/roblox/comments/5y0w3z/why_the_hell_are_numbers_censored/ |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]] - r/Roblox}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=JParty |date=Feb 24, 2017 |title=Updates to Chat Privacy API + New Account Indicators + Changes to Text Filtering APIs |url=https://devforum.roblox.com/t/updates-to-chat-privacy-api-new-account-indicators-changes-to-text-filtering-apis/33867 |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=Roblox Dev Forum}}</ref> to the indirect encouragement of illegal behaviors on the platform intended for young audiences.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlep |date=Jan 9, 2024 |title=this simulator should NOT be on roblox... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMdacOJxmjU |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlep |date=Apr 14, 2024 |title=Roblox Needs to BAN These Games... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE3FeYfJOhw |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
|ArticleType=Service
 
|Description=Roblox has had a problematic history of protecting its consumers on the platform, going so far as to protect individuals committing illegal acts.
}}
{{Ph-I-Int}}
==Background==
==Background==
{{Ph-I-B}}
No online platform is immune to child predators, especially those geared towards extremely young audiences, however, [[Roblox]] has had an extensive history regarding its poor handling of said individuals on the platform. The child predator problem has been exacerbated recently by a decision from the CEO David Baszucki to integrate dating features to the game,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baqery |first=Mohsen |date=Jul 30, 2025 |title=Roblox CEO Has Suggested the Worst Idea Possible |url=https://gamerant.com/roblox-ceo-worst-idea-dating-sim/ |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |work=GameRant}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Norton |first=Brad |date=Jul 15, 2025 |title=Roblox CEO wants adults to use platform as a dating service |url=https://www.dexerto.com/roblox/roblox-ceo-wants-adults-to-use-platform-as-a-dating-service-3226769/ |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |work=Dexerto}}</ref> despite at minimum 40% of the game's population being under 13 years old.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connor |first=Jak |date=Jul 29, 2025 |title=Roblox CEO wants to add an in-game dating feature, despite 40% of players being under 13yrs old |url=https://www.tweaktown.com/news/106712/roblox-ceo-wants-to-add-an-in-game-dating-feature-despite-40-of-players-being-under-13yrs-old/index.html |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |work=TweakTown}}</ref>
 
==Problematic moderation<!--https://hindenburgresearch.com/roblox/-->==
Beyond a questionable chat filtering system, [[Roblox]] has historically underinvested in adequate moderation for its userbase. The moderation team is excessively small compared to its competitors, a documented 100-200 moderation on-staff compared to [[Fortnite]]'s 1,000+ and [[Minecraft]]'s 500+ members on the moderation staff.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Sep 17, 2024 |title=Why is Roblox moderation so bad? |url=https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/why-is-roblox-moderation-so-bad/ |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=Games Learning Society}}</ref><!-- I don't feel so confident about this source, so if we can get something that feels more concrete, I would appreciate it, since this is some vital data. --> Combined with a lack of investment in adequate moderation tools,<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jul 24, 2024 |title=All Roblox Controversies Explained (2024) |url=https://screenrant.com/roblox-controversies-moderation-bad/ |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |work=ScreenRant}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Apr 9, 2024 |title=Roblox VC moderation is terrible |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ROBLOXBans/comments/1c05qqs/roblox_vc_moderation_is_terrible/ |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]] - r/ROBLOXBans}}</ref> it has become responsible for an excess of younger audiences being harmed on the platform.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dinunzio |first=Caitlin |date=Dec 21, 2021 |title=Roblox Accused Of Being Unsafe For Children In Viral Video |url=https://screenrant.com/roblox-accusations-safety-children-people-make-games/ |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |work=ScreenRant}}</ref>
 
When the platform was investigated by journalists working to uncover how the platform was additionally encouraging the exploitation of underage developers,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Quintin |date=Aug 19, 2021 |title=Investigation: How Roblox Is Exploiting Young Game Developers |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXlauRB1EQ |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]] - People Make Games}}</ref> the company aimed to have the report taken down, thus leading to further research from reporters on ''People Make Games'' regarding further harmful moderation controversies.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Quintin |date=Dec 13, 2021 |title=Roblox Pressured Us to Delete Our Video. So We Dug Deeper. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTMF6xEiAaY&t=10s |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]] - People Make Games}}</ref> In the follow-up video, the lead developer of a fan game ''Sonic Eclipse Online'' on the platform by the alias of Doc spread harmful and sexually-charged comments to female developers on his team, and while his primary account was removed from the platform, Roblox's moderation team has refused to handle the alternate account which owns all the games he published to the platform, nor the games held by this alternate account either, meaning he continued to gain revenue from his project while clearly evading his ban.<ref name=":2" /> Soon after the publication of the video, his game would then be taken down via [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act|DMCA]] from [[SEGA]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=Feb 5, 2022 |title=Sega took down Sonic Eclipse Online |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3rmxony0mQ |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]] - BloxEverlasting}}</ref><!-- I need a real article, even if I can find tons of amateur channels documenting this --> It was not until mid-2022 that Doc would receive federal charges for abducting a minor through his predatory behavior on the platform,<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Nicholas |date=Nov 10, 2022 |title=Roblox Dev Arrested for Kidnapping: Who is Arnold Castillo (aka Jadon Shedletsky)? |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/913144-roblox-dev-arrested-developer-who-is-arnold-castillo-jadon-shedletsky |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |work=Game Revolution}}</ref> and finally be entirely removed from said platform.


==[Incident]==
===Roblox's response===
{{Ph-I-I}}
So far, [[Roblox]] has done the following regarding its child predator problem:


===[Company]'s response===
*Threatened the content creator Schlep with litigation over vigilantism,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Schlep |date=Aug 9, 2025 |title=Roblox Is Threatening to Sue Me For Protecting Kids |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMqAw_NjHK8&t |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Huang |first=Marcus |date=Aug 9, 2025 |title=Roblox YouTuber Battles Child Predators {{!}} Accounts Terminated Amid Backlash |url=https://leveluptalk.com/news/roblox-youtuber-fights-child-predators-banned/ |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |work=Level Up Talk}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Matt |date=Aug 7, 2025 |title=How Roblox Partners With Law Enforcement |url=https://corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/08/how-roblox-partners-law-enforcement |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=Roblox Blog}}</ref> despite cited neglect from the moderation by the user.<ref name=":0" />
{{Ph-I-ComR}}
*The integration of an open-source AI-powered system (Sentinel) to spy on chats.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ortutay |first=Barbara |date=Aug 7, 2025 |title=Roblox rolls out open-source AI system to protect kids from predators in chats |url=https://apnews.com/article/roblox-grooming-messages-ai-kids-teens-9e9d4131d46b80eead3e57b1110d48eb |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |work=Associated Press}}</ref>
*Collaborating with law enforcement according to a blog post.<ref name=":1" />


==Lawsuits & legal controversies<!--https://www.anapolweiss.com/blog/roblox-enabled-child-exploitationnow-its-trying-to-dodge-accountability-in-court-we-wont-let-that-happen/  https://www.gamethemedia.com/the-crime-history-of-roblox-->==
{{Incomplete section}}
Litigation has been frequent for the platform regarding its neglect to handle child predators for several years now.<!--Trying to get scaffolding done here, first time in a while we got a bunch of litigation for an ongoing problem. Going to take more labor to summarize each case adequately.-->


==Lawsuit==
===Arnold Castillo (Feb - Jul 2022)===
{{Ph-I-L}}
In February 2022, the lead game developer for the game ''Sonic Eclipse Online'' on Roblox, Arnold Castillo, used the platform to groom an anonymous minor. Months later in May, he coerced the minor into crossing state lines to his property via the service [[Uber]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jul 29, 2022 |title=New Jersey Man Federally Charged with Enticement of a Minor and Interstate Transportation of a Minor to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/new-jersey-man-federally-charged-enticement-minor-and-interstate-transportation-minor |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=DOJ - Southern District of Indiana Attorney's Office}}</ref> Days after the abduction, the individual was detained and put on trial, and received 2 life sentences and $500k in fines. This occurred after Castillo's extensive history of violating the platform's Terms of Service for the purposes of grooming minors. Both his community and staff released 2 documents<ref>{{Cite web |title=The DoctorRofatnik Archives |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IBLEag66elaVPs11PimO2t2M0ikCCb67ti_RNYB0MxQ/edit?tab=t.0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/the-doctor-rofatnik-archives/mode/2up |archive-date=2020-10-26 |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=Google Docs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Response to your claims |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a6NozfqgKOLT1882d9xy1QuJzW0TWJXuorvincSI4z8/edit?tab=t.0 |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=Google Docs}}</ref> covering his harmful behavior on both [[Roblox]] and additionally [[Discord]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Sim |first=Ruben |date=Oct 31, 2022 |title=The Roblox Developer Arrested By The FBI |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdDfdlLuAgA |access-date=Aug 11, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]] - Ruben Sim}}</ref> Roblox's moderation refused to directly handle the situation, despite the extensive reports, and his arrest compiled with the charges he faced were only successful due to datamining efforts via vigilantes on the platform.<ref name=":4" />


===''S.U. v. Roblox et al. (Oct 2022 - Ongoing)''<!--https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2023cv04146/416876/108/0.pdf-->===
===''State v. Darius Matylewich (Sept. 2023)''<!--https://www.justice.gov/usao-de/pr/delaware-man-sentenced-240-months-coercing-11-year-old-new-jersey-resident-travel-->===
===''State v. Franciou Romelus (Jan - Apr 2024)''<!--https://www.fox13news.com/news/man-arrested-for-stalking-attacking-14-year-old-girl-he-met-online-tpd-->===
===''U.S. v. Daniel Aravena Oliva'' (Aug 2024)<!--https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/55330930/USA_v_Aravena_Oliva https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-22/chilean-arrest-roblox-child-exploitation-->===
===''State v. Christian Scribben'' (Feb 2025)<!--https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/04/30/17-year-old-arrested-in-marion-county-accused-of-sexually-exploiting-children-on-roblox/ https://www.ocala-news.com/2025/05/02/ocala-teen-jailed-for-exploiting-children-he-met-on-video-game/-->===
===''State v. Matthew Naval'' (Apr 2025)<!--https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/man-accused-of-kidnapping-taft-girl-charged-with-7-felonies/ https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/elk-grove/missing-kern-county-child-found-elk-grove-suspected-kidnapper/103-53c26187-7d46-4b43-964a-1010c1bf07c5-->===
===Florida Attorney-General Subpoena & Multi-State Scrutiny (July 2025)<!--https://www.gamethemedia.com/the-crime-history-of-roblox  Following Naval’s kidnapping and Doe litigation, Florida AG James Uthmeier demanded Roblox hand over data on age-verification, moderation logs and abuse reports , warning of legal action if safety promises prove hollow . Several states now coordinate on social-media harms to minors.  Why it matters: Regulatory investigations may impose binding safety mandates faster than courts.-->===


==Consumer response==
==Consumer response==
{{Ph-I-ConR}}
Users such as Schlep have turned to vigilantism due to the negligence of the platform's own moderation teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlep |date=Feb 7, 2024 |title=I Caught a Roblox PREDATOR in this game... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQMSc-9jGMQ |access-date=Aug 10, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> In response, [[Roblox]] has issued a cease and desist notice to Schlep,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-09 |title=Schlep on X: "Every account I've ever made on Roblox has been terminated... |url=https://x.com/RealSchlep/status/1954101415564951680 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> being condemned by the community and prompting a hashtag #FreeSchlep,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-11 |title=Schlep on X: "wow its trending again. 3 days in a row now I was lowkey ... |url=https://x.com/RealSchlep/status/1954982451350008298 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=X}}</ref> notably with support from popular [[Roblox]] Youtuber KreekCraft.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-09 |title=KreekCraft on X: "Roblox Schlep situation https://t.co/1WZ92x6Bju" / X |url=https://x.com/KreekCraft/status/1954215182311297365 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Roblox Banned Schlep - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKOYXcYmxow |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=YouTube}}</ref> Furthermore, [[Roblox]] has publicly outlawed vigilante groups on their platform,<ref name=":1" /> causing vigilante group RoCatchers, a predator-catching group, to disband.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-09 |title=RoCatchers on X: "We sadly have to disband what we're doing on here. ... |url=https://x.com/RoCatchers/status/1954221211581301201 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=X}}</ref>


==Legacy<!-- To be worked on, their negligence has caused legal changes that will harm consumers -->==
{{Incomplete section}}
The negligence shown by Roblox and the platform's moderation has been a key point within various forms of legal legislation to require identification on online services. Most notably the [[Online Safety Act]] within the United Kingdom.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
<references />
 
[[Category:Roblox]]
{{Ph-I-C}}
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