The 2025 RealSchlep vs. Roblox Controversy: A Deep Dive

TL;DR - Bottom Line Up Front

YouTuber Michael "Schlep" (22) has been permanently banned from Roblox and threatened with legal action after his predator-catching operations led to six confirmed arrests of alleged child predators. Roblox claims his vigilante methods violated their Terms of Service and created "an unsafe environment," comparing his tactics to those of actual predators. The case has sparked massive controversy, with politicians like Congressman Ro Khanna and major content creators rallying behind Schlep, accusing Roblox of prioritizing corporate image over child safety.

Background: The Predator Hunter

Personal Motivation

Schlep's crusade stems from deeply personal trauma - he was groomed on Roblox as a child by a popular developer between ages 12-15, an experience so severe it led to a suicide attempt. When his mother contacted Roblox during his hospitalization, the company was initially unresponsive until she threatened legal action, and they only engaged to claim the abuse happened "on another platform" despite the predator being a contracted Roblox developer. The developer who groomed Schlep was eventually banned - but only years later, after another female developer reported sexual abuse.

The Operations

Over the past couple years, Schlep worked with fellow predator-hunting creators like JiDion to find adults trying to talk to children on Roblox by making fresh accounts and going into various games pretending to be kids. They say they never initiate discussions, especially not sexual discussions; if a potential predator pushes the conversation in that direction, Schlep collects the evidence and sends it to Roblox and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The Arrests: Six Confirmed Cases

Working with established predator-catching organizations including Predator Poachers (300+ convictions) and EDP Watch, Schlep's team achieved a remarkable success rate: six arrests from seven real-life confrontations with suspected predators initially contacted through Roblox. In one recent case, a team member posed as an underage girl chatting with a man from Central California who agreed to meet at a local park in June, expecting to meet a minor. Instead, Schlep and fellow YouTuber JiDion showed up, filming as police arrived to arrest him.

While law enforcement has acted swiftly in response to evidence, Roblox hasn't done the same, both Schlep and JiDion allege. "We go to roblox.com/support, submit a moderation ticket, and then fill out the prompt with all the information regarding our arrest, and give you guys the same Google Drive that we give to the cops," Schlep said. "And in a lot of instances, Roblox won't even ban after we reach out to them regarding felony arrests".

Roblox's Response and Ban

The Cease and Desist Letter

On August 9, 2025, Roblox banned Schlep and issued a cease and desist letter accusing him of multiple violations including "simulated child endangerment conversations," "sharing or soliciting personally identifiable information," and "encouraging users to move conversations off-platform". The letter stated his actions "are exposing our users to increased risk" and warned that if he makes a new account, Roblox will pursue legal action.

Official Company Position

In their detailed response, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman stated: "While seemingly well-intentioned, the vigilantes we've banned have taken actions that are both unacceptable and create an unsafe environment for users. Similar to actual predators, they often impersonated minors, actively approached other users, then tried to lead them to other platforms to have sexually explicit conversations".

Roblox claims they initially appreciated vigilante feedback and used reports to improve safety systems, but "More recently, vigilante activity evolved. Instead of just reporting on safety issues, vigilantes started impersonating children and actively sought to connect with adult users". The company argues that "On multiple occasions, we've found vigilante groups holding their reports to Roblox until after they had coordinated real-life meetups and built their own social media posts".

The Controversy Explodes

Public Backlash

The ban triggered massive online backlash, with hashtags such as #FreeSchlep and #BoycottRoblox dominating discussions across YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit. Campaigns gained traction, supported by major creators like MoistCr1TiKal and JiDion.

Political Involvement

U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) contacted both Schlep and fellow Roblox creator KreekCraft, launching a petition titled "Stand with Us to Protect Kids and Save Roblox" that aims to collect one million signatures by August 15, 2025. Khanna said in a TikTok video: "Roblox is simply not doing enough to protect our kids, to inform parents, and to go after child predators".

Schlep also reached out to Republican Senator Ted Cruz on X and by email, advocating for political attention to the company's safety policies, though it was unclear whether Cruz's office responded.

Legal Representation

Legal firms Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC (SGGH) and Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC have been retained to defend Schlep. The lawyers noted that Roblox is using "the same legal intimidation tactics they've used before," referencing the Computer Fraud Act - the same statute used in Roblox's lawsuit against another critic, Ruben Sim.

Chris Hansen Connection

Crime journalist Chris Hansen has contacted Schlep about participating in an upcoming documentary investigating Roblox's handling of child safety issues. Child predator hunting gained popularity in the early 2000s thanks to Chris Hansen and his Dateline NBC show To Catch a Predator, and now creators have been using Hansen-esque techniques to catch predators where kids gather—including on Roblox.

Corporate Concerns and Stock Sales

Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matthew Kaufman sold over $800,000 worth of company stock shortly after the platform issued the cease-and-desist order to Schlep. While such sales are routine for executives, the timing—coinciding with the controversy—has fueled speculation. A Change.org petition calling for Kaufman's resignation, citing his role in the blog post and handling of safety issues, has gained traction.

Schlep's Defense

Schlep responded angrily to Roblox's statement, saying the gaming platform "outrageously compared him to actual predators." He stated: "Roblox has TRIPLED down in their latest newsroom post, outrageously comparing me to ACTUAL PREDATORS because my decoys tell adults that they're children. We use the same tactics that the FBI, ICAC, and local police departments use in their own operations to catch predators".

Schlep denied wrongdoing, explaining that decoys in predator-catching investigations avoid initiating sexual talk to prevent entrapment, and said most chat logs were collected on Discord rather than Roblox.

Broader Safety Concerns

Advocacy groups, including the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, have previously flagged Roblox for hosting dozens of groups trading explicit material involving minors. Schlep alleges that games like "Public Bathroom Simulator" and "Dollhouse Roleplay," which he claims involve disturbing roleplay scenarios with children, remain available with millions of plays.

Roblox reports over 6.5 million registered accounts, with at least 16% belonging to players aged 13 to 16 as of December 2024. The platform currently has an average of 111.8 million daily active users, producing 6.1 billion chat messages and 1.1 million hours of voice chat across 28 different languages.

The Debate: Vigilante Justice vs. Platform Safety

This controversy highlights the complex tensions between:

Pro-Schlep Arguments:

• Six confirmed arrests demonstrate real-world impact
• Roblox's own moderation appears inadequate
• The company's harsh response to whistleblowing vs. lenient treatment of actual predators
• Personal testimony from abuse survivors

Pro-Roblox Arguments:

• Vigilante operations can interfere with official investigations
• Impersonating minors violates platform rules regardless of intent
• Professional law enforcement is better equipped for such operations
• Coordinated reporting through official channels is more effective

The case continues to evolve, with political pressure mounting and legal proceedings potentially ahead. It represents one of the most significant controversies around platform responsibility for child safety in recent memory.