Throughout the 2020s, the cyber police divisions of several Mexican states have reported numerous cases of sexual harassment of minors through Roblox, including the federal government of Chihuahua, which from 2021 to 2025 reported an increase in cases of grooming using the platform. In December 2025, the Moroccan government took the first steps to moderate the platform and other online games after repeated warnings from several members of parliament who voiced their concern that the platform could be a danger to minors such as Fatima Zahra Afif. In October 2025, the Lebanese Association for Statistics, Training, and Development urged the Lebanese government to ban the video game following reports that 30% of minors in the country could be exposed to inappropriate content. This announcement was met with major backlash from parents, creators, safety advocates, and many online communities who feared it would put children at a greater risk. A 2023 study by researchers from Pennsylvania State University analyzing discussion among users of the community noted that roleplaying games aligned with prejudiced or extremist values seemed to hide or only imply their values to players, occurrences of which usually took place in military roleplaying games.
Watching or playing the game together lets you see firsthand if anything feels inappropriate or concerning and opens the door to meaningful discussions about online safety. While video games can be a great source of entertainment, creativity, and even learning, they also come with certain risks that parents should be aware of. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. The first step in ensuring you, and your family, have a positive and safe experience when playing is understanding the tools available on your game platforms.
Roblox developers are required to fill out a questionnaire which will determine the game’s maturity rating, ranging from “minimal” to “restricted”, which are only available to users who have verified they are at least 17 years old through government-issued ID. According to a 2022 report by The Weekend Australian, “dozens” of forums exist to show Roblox players how to make Nazi-inspired content without being banned, such as rearranging the colors of the Nazi flag and altering the Swastika. After Roblox requested the channel to take down the video, People Make Games released several more accusations towards Roblox, focused on an alleged lack of oversight of developers and a method for people to address developer abuse, leading to child developers being exploited for labor on third-party platforms. Some found that the cubet platform made it very easy to purchase microtransactions, leading to numerous instances where children have spent large sums of money on the platform without parents’ knowledge.
Positive playing experiences and player tools go hand-in-hand.
On June 25, 2025, Aftermath reported that 6 people had been arrested in the United States in connection to grooming on Roblox since the start of the year. Online child exploitation groups such as 764, CVLT, and other groups affiliated with The Com have been discovered operating on Roblox, something which has been acknowledged by Roblox themselves. In the second quarter of 2025, Roblox reported a daily active user count of over 100 million, its highest on record. Robux can be used to purchase virtual items that the player can use on their virtual character (or “avatar”) on the platform, or access experiences that require payment.
Following the public backlash, senior Australian government officials called meetings with Roblox, where they indicated that if the company is unable to neutralize cases of child sexual abuse on its platform, it could face fines of A$49.5 million. In September, Roblox announced it will collaborate with International Age Rating Coalition to assign age ratings to individual games, complementing Roblox’s own ratings. Players linked with a trusted connection would have chat filters removed between each other, specifically in hopes that users would be less likely to leave Roblox for platforms they did not moderate, but could only be accessed after using an AI-based age verification system using facial recognition. They also reimplemented “experience guidelines” as “content labels” that parents could use with parental controls settings to regulate the content their child was allowed to see. On November 18, 2024, Roblox announced that they would be implementing new safety features for children under 13 set to take effect in the first quarter of 2025. Developers would also need to designate their games as meant for users under 13, otherwise their games would no longer be accessible to those users.
All participants confirmed they are active players participating in online multiplayer games. Conversely, players are willing to spend more in games that feel safe – one analysis found gamers spend 54% more on titles they perceive as “non-toxic”. If platforms clearly enforce rules against harassment, players will reward them with loyalty, more engagement, and increased spending.
From content filters to limiting chat options, parental controls give you more oversight on who your child can communicate with and what they can play. Learn more about our Positive Play Charter and how to report players. FC Playtime was designed to help FC players understand and control how they play. NetSmartz is NCMEC’s online safety education program. But there’s still more to do—join us in protecting children and supporting our mission. On September 15, 2025, Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond announced that he was seeking outside law firms to investigate Roblox over alleged child exploitation and safety failures.
Take control of your play
- Nearly 59% of players mute or block toxic users, 30% actively avoid certain communities, and 28% quit mid-game.
- In addition, members of Bahrain’s parliament also began drafting a bill to ban Roblox in the country following concerns about child safety.
- The European video game content rating system PEGI classifies the game as “parental guidance recommended”, while prior to September 2022 it classified the game as “suitable for 7 years and over”.
- The first step in ensuring you, and your family, have a positive and safe experience when playing is understanding the tools available on your game platforms.
- In April 2022, Truth in Advertising filed a complaint against Roblox with the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising, mainly failing to disclose when advertising is present, such as with advergames and brand ambassadors.
- The lawsuit alleges that Roblox connected their daughter with online predators, who sexually exploited her by coercing her to send sexually explicit photos to them on Discord and Snapchat; those corporations were also named in the lawsuit.
Roblox Corporation responded to the lawsuit on August 15, stating that they continuously work “to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users”. The suit alleged that by actively shutting down independent efforts to expose potential dangers on its platform, Roblox was failing in its duty to protect underage users from harm. On August 14, 2025, Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill filed a child protection lawsuit against Roblox Corporation. The lawsuit alleges that Roblox profited off minors when they bought Robux to participate in third-party gambling rings, violating the RICO act. Following the platform ban in Buenos Aires, the secretaries of public education in the provinces of Córdoba, Mendoza and Misiones issued regional bans on Roblox on all public school devices after multiple reports of grooming and child harassment. The Ministry of Education made this decision after a case of child exploitation in which the platform was being actively used by pedophiles based in the city of Cipolletti, who requested intimate photos of minors in exchange for Robux.
Additionally, Roblox has been criticized for its use of microtransactions, advergames, and brand ambassadors, as well as for the alleged financial exploitation of child game developers. Some users have taken to online vigilantism to catch potential child predators; Roblox Corporation has faced significant controversy after taking legal action against some of these users. Child exploitation groups such as 764 and CVLT have operated on Roblox to groom children, and at least 30 people have been arrested since 2018 in the United States for abducting or sexually abusing children they had groomed on the platform.
- Roblox developers are required to fill out a questionnaire which will determine the game’s maturity rating, ranging from “minimal” to “restricted”, which are only available to users who have verified they are at least 17 years old through government-issued ID.
- NetSmartz is NCMEC’s online safety education program.
- According to Bloomberg Businessweek, some Roblox users have become “vigilante gamers” in response to Roblox’s perceived poor moderation and failure to protect children.
- May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.
- On the other hand, men reported significantly higher rates of insults or name-calling (64%) compared to women (47%).
- Game ratings and content descriptors can vary by country.
- Simon denied trying to upload any images of Hitler, but admitted that he had previously been banned when he was 15 on an account with an inappropriate name he claimed was created as a joke as well as likely having used slurs in-game around the same age.
Moderation and safety updates
As of August 2025update, the corporation is facing several lawsuits in the United States for alleged failures to protect children. Poki Kids is an online playground specially created for young players. We guard against gamers attempting to move the conversation away from the protected gaming platform to discord or other messaging apps. “If users have a bad experience, whether it’s harassment in a game, scams on a marketplace, or hate speech on a social platform, retention becomes nearly impossible.
May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Game ratings and content descriptors can vary by country. Ratings systems also give additional information on features, like in-game purchasing. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). Download presentations, tip sheets, lesson plans, and other safety resources.
What GameSafe Covers?
The millions of reports made each year uniquely situate NCMEC to identify trends and create prevention resources to address the evolving needs of kids and teens online. On February 17, 2026, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr launched an investigation into Roblox following instances and reports of child exploitation. Uthmeier also sought communications to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and reports of abuse to and from Florida users among other things via the subpoena.
Financial exploitation
In September 2025, Núcleo Jornalismo launched an investigation into Roblox content aimed at children in Brazil with the support of academics and researchers from various universities in São Paulo. Users have been documented evading Roblox content and chat moderation to perform sexual content by taking activity offsite to other social media platforms, especially Discord. The European video game content rating system PEGI classifies the game as “parental guidance recommended”, while prior to September 2022 it classified the game as “suitable for 7 years and over”.
Of course, implementing this kind of system isn’t plug-and-play. “A safer user experience leads to more enjoyment, stronger communities, and ultimately, more engagement and revenue,” he adds. Apostolos explains that smarter workflows, automated and tiered by severity, allow platforms to respond faster and more fairly. AI can also adapt to evolving language, subcultures, and slang much better than rule-based systems.” However, words and isolated features aren’t enough if enforcement is inconsistent or a company’s stance isn’t communicated to the player base.
Game Ratings
GameSafe monitors your child’s game chats, alerting you to threats in real-time. The new Besedo report highlights the effects of fraud and poor content quality on online marketplaces. Every unchecked bigoted rant or sexist attack might drive away dozens of other players, shrinking the total user pool and revenue potential in the long run. Players spend 54% more on games they perceive as safe and non-toxic. We’ve built solutions that help platforms detect and prevent this kind of content before it becomes problematic.” User-generated content is a huge competitive advantage.
Certain platforms let you receive alerts when your child gets direct messages from other players, allowing you to catch potential issues early. Knowing the ins and outs of the games your child plays gives you a clearer sense of the content, the people they’re interacting with, and potential risks. Most major gaming platforms have player and family or parental controls that make it easy to create and manage family accounts. When using EA’s online services, you can play, chat and, in some cases, share other content with players including friends. Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against Roblox two days later, claiming the platform “makes children easy prey for pedophiles” and “fails to implement reasonable and readily available safety measures”. On December 18, 2025, the Attorney General of Tennessee Jonathan Skrmetti would sue Roblox for misleading parents about child safety, saying that “Roblox is the digital equivalent of a creepy cargo van lingering at the edge of a playground”.
While gamers overwhelmingly want platforms to moderate harmful content, doing it at scale is no small feat. According to a Unity Technologies report, 77% of multiplayer gamers believe that protecting players from abusive behavior should be a priority for game developers. Our survey found that 85.25% of respondents believe gaming platforms should actively moderate offensive content (such as hate symbols, slurs, or sexually explicit mods/skins). No matter how great the gameplay is, if the community is known for harassment, many potential players will simply stay away. That is a huge chunk of the player population deliberately steering clear of specific games because of how players behave in those spaces. These behavioral changes directly impact the social experience and community engagement, two crucial pillars of successful online gaming platforms.