Opinion: Roblox's corporate response to Schlep situation reveals monopolistic qualities of top digital companies
- Alexangel Ventura
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Roblox Corporation's disastrous fiasco regarding the permanent ban and forwarding of a cease and desist order to the content creator and vigilante member Schlep reveals just how monopolistic top technology companies are as they acquire a larger grip over the industry.
For ages, Roblox has been very notorious for harboring dangerous individuals who pose a risk for children. For instance, a St. Louis mom reported an assault case against a female minor in the platform. However, while the gaming platform states that it is strictly against such acts, its underdeveloped moderation team has caused these individuals to go unnoticed for months to even years, with one man having affected over 100 minors across the platform.
As of June 2025, about 380 million individuals play Roblox monthly, with about 60% of these being minors under the age of 16, according to a report from Blacklinko. Data from Statista even found that 36% of players are under the age of 13, with many of these not under parental control regulations. Therefore, tens of millions of youth have free range over the platform so dangerous that it has become a breeding ground for predators, far more than almost any other gaming platform and rivaling that of top social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Just recently, Roblox banned the content creator Schlep for violating terms of use by creating fake minor accounts to lure in potential criminals into external platforms. While this may sound harmful, Schlep is a vigilante who was known for causing the arrest of six child predators from the platform, some of whom even engaged in real-life interaction through social media.
The public outrage from Schlep's ban was perhaps the largest public protest in the gaming platform's history. Thousands Tweeted "#FREESCHLEP," legendary YouTuber KreekCraft left Roblox's star program, and organzied boycott movements started online. Roblox took a hardline stance against these dissenters by banning talk of Schlep on the platform, and releasing a lawyer-made response video days after the incident. Some even claimed that the video was generated by AI, but this has not yet been verified.
As a result of the disaster, Roblox lost $12 billion in nine days after the disaster started earlier this month. The AG of Louisiana started a lawsuit against Roblox for endangering child safety. Even Ro Khanna, a member of the House of Representatives, initiated a petition calling for Roblox to enact significant changes in its moderation policies.
Roblox clearly desires the success of its shareholders over its consumers and users - children. While the company reported all-time highs in share price on the stock market and reported higher earnings, it continued to allow dangerous individuals to roam the platform and inflict harm on the livelihoods of vulnerable young people. It continues to make a record profit off of its non-tangible currency "Robux" while hundreds become victims of cruel acts, many of which will be forever remembered negatively by survivors and families.
We've seen other members of the technology industry going through similar cases of putting wealth over the safety of their users. Facebook has been accused of taking data and selling it to third parties. Instagram and TikTok, like Roblox, have been accused of failing to protect their young audiences from victimization.
With the call against Roblox being so resounding, let's hope companies use this as a warning call to actually ensure the safety of their consumers instead of strictly focusing on maximizing profits.
