On Aug. 9, a virtual predator catcher named Schlep was permanently banned from Roblox with his accounts terminated. Along with that, Roblox sent him a cease-and-desist letter threatening legal action if he continued sting operations on Roblox, stopping Schlep from helping put predators in jail. Roblox justified this by claiming Schlep had violated their Terms of Service by not “properly reporting predators to their designated channels.” The Roblox userbase, child safety activists, and social media influencers blew up in outrage.

40% of Roblox’s user base is under 13, making it a target for child predators who meet up with children after conversing on Roblox. As the site grew bigger and more profit-motivated, the problem grew unchecked. Schlep’s ban caused the anger to boil over.

Trying to calm the backlash, Roblox released an update claiming Schlep was a “vigilante” who didn’t have Roblox’s authority to report predators to the police. It poses the question—if vigilantes can’t do it, who will?

Roblox’s moderation has been facing complaints of inefficiency and negligence for a while. Now, with users alleging Roblox only banned Schlep because he was shedding light on poor moderation, it truly seems that Schlep was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Chris Hansen has partnered with Schlep and others who have criticized moderation to create a documentary exposing Roblox’s moderation issues. Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Mullet filed a lawsuit against Roblox, calling it a “platform for sexual predators.”

Despite the fact that Roblox has banned the word “Schlep,” millions of users are still protesting and boycotting Roblox in the #FreeSchlep movement.

“We stand with Schlep and are working to do everything we can to continue his legacy of fighting child endangerment on the platform,” a representative for Mods For Dummies said, a volunteer team which maintains a predator database that Roblox developers can use to protect the players inside their communities.

Working in conjunction with TerminatorsX, another organization that focuses on terminating individual accounts, both groups are what Roblox would consider “vigilantes.” However, both have only been emboldened by Schlep’s ban.

So where does Roblox go from here? Ideally, Roblox starts moderating better, but the chances of that happening deus ex are lackluster. Fortunately, attorney Michael L. Mandell has announced he is partnering with Schlep’s representatives to countersue Roblox for promoting child endangerment. No matter how, children must be protected on Roblox.

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Oct. 2, 2025