{"id":2514608,"date":"2025-11-25T21:49:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T02:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roblox-ceo-calls-child-predator-crisis-an-opportunity-amid-ban-of-gamer\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T21:52:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T02:52:36","slug":"roblox-ceo-calls-child-predator-crisis-an-opportunity-amid-ban-of-gamer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roblox-ceo-calls-child-predator-crisis-an-opportunity-amid-ban-of-gamer\/","title":{"rendered":"Roblox CEO calls child predator crisis an \u2018opportunity\u2019 amid ban of gamer"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Froblox-ceo-calls-child-predator-crisis-an-opportunity-amid-ban-of-gamer%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2514608&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Roblox is facing criticism after its CEO, David Baszucki, referred to the platform&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abigail-spanberger-could-fix-her-child-predator-problem\/\" title=\"Abigail Spanberger could fix her child predator ...\">child predator problem<\/a> as an &#8220;chance&#8221; during a recent New York Times podcast. This comment sparked outrage,especially since Roblox had recently banned a YouTuber known as Schlep,who had gained attention for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anchor-at-nbc-local-affiliate-allegedly-caught-trying-to-meet-with-minor-for-sex\/\" title=\"Anchor at NBC Local Affiliate Allegedly Caught Trying to Meet With ... for Sex\">exposing child predators<\/a> on Roblox and providing evidence to authorities,leading to multiple arrests. Schlep criticized Baszucki&#8217;s wording as insensitive given the serious consequences of predator activity on the platform.<\/p>\n<p>In interviews, Schlep explained how he identified predators and gathered evidence, only to face legal threats from Roblox rather of cooperation. Several states, including Florida and Texas, are reportedly investigating roblox over these issues, with Florida upgrading its probe to a criminal investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Despite internal support for Schlep, including protests at Roblox headquarters, the company announced plans for a pioneering facial age-verification system intended to protect minors by limiting adult-minor interactions. At the same time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-mayor-congress-must-open-a-probe-into-security-failures-at-u-s-capitol\/\" title=\"D.C. Mayor: Congress must open a probe into security failures at U.S. Capitol\">federal law enforcement<\/a> is intensifying efforts against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ashton-kutcher-resigns-from-sex-trafficking-charity-amid-masterson-support-letters-backlash\/\" title=\"Ashton Kutcher steps down from sex trafficking charity due to backlash over support for Masterson.\">online child exploitation networks<\/a>, highlighting the broader national crackdown on predators targeting children online.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Roblox CEO calls child predator crisis an &lsquo;opportunity&rsquo; amid ban of gamer who exposed groomers on platform<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2378013\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Roblox is under renewed fire after CEO David Baszucki described the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/child-abuse-and-neglect\/\">child predator<\/a> crisis on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/video-games\/\">gaming<\/a> platform as an &ldquo;opportunity&rdquo; during a recent <em>New York Times<\/em> podcast, comments that landed amid intensifying <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/investigations\/\">scrutiny<\/a> over the company&rsquo;s decision to ban a YouTuber known as Schlep, who had gained a following for exposing child predators on Roblox and providing his evidence to authorities.<\/p>\n<p>The backlash intensified after the <em>New York Times&rsquo;s Hard Fork <\/em>podcast aired comments from Roblox CEO David Baszucki, who characterized the child predator problem not only as a &ldquo;problem&rdquo; but also an &ldquo;opportunity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3899316\/pennsylvanias-shapiro-joins-lawsuit-against-federal-homelessness-funding-cuts\/\">Pennsylvania&#8217;s Shapiro joins lawsuit against federal homelessness funding cuts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3899149\/trump-duffy-slam-pritzkers-soft-on-crime-policies-after-chicago-woman-set-on-fire-on-train\/\">Trump, Duffy slam Pritzker&rsquo;s &lsquo;soft-on-crime policies&rsquo; after Chicago woman set on fire on train<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3898762\/missing-virginia-high-school-coach-investigated-for-child-porn-and-soliciting-a-minor-police-say\/\">Missing Virginia high school coach investigated for child porn and soliciting a minor, police say<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Full clip here: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YqlfftRKAY\">pic.twitter.com\/YqlfftRKAY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pirat_Nation &#128308; (@Pirat_Nation) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pirat_Nation\/status\/1993035445815656603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>When asked directly about predators on Roblox, Baszucki said, &ldquo;We think of it not necessarily just as a problem but an opportunity as well. How do we allow young people to build, communicate, and hang out together? How do we build the future of communication at the same time?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>His remarks sparked immediate outrage, including from Schlep himself, the very gamer whose investigations led to multiple predator arrests.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He could&rsquo;ve phrased this in so many better ways,&rdquo; Schlep wrote on X. &ldquo;Saying it like this feels incredibly insensitive when there are children who lost their lives because of Roblox predators.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">He could&rsquo;ve phrased this in so many better ways. Saying it like this feels incredibly insensitive when there are children who lost their lives because of Roblox predators. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3HKgGU9q41\">https:\/\/t.co\/3HKgGU9q41<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Schlep (@RealSchlep) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealSchlep\/status\/1992753151611638108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>On WMAL Radio in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, hosts <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/oconnor-and-company\/schlep-and-steven-vanderporten-on-roblox-banning-anti-predator-activism#sharing\">interviewed<\/a> Schlep, along with his attorney Steven Vanderporten. During the interview, Schlep explained how he <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >personally identified predators targeting minors<\/a> on Roblox and compiled detailed evidence.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I would find and catch child predators on the app Roblox,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It resulted in six arrests. Some of these cases are going to be going into trial next year. One of them has already resulted in a conviction.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He said Roblox&rsquo;s reaction was not cooperation but retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Their first instinctual reaction was to send me a legal cease and desist, threatening me for computer fraud,&rdquo; he said. <\/p>\n<p>Schlep added that he repeatedly begged Roblox for a direct line to report predators, but &ldquo;they would actually ignore us on multiple occasions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/oconnor-and-company\/schlep-and-steven-vanderporten-on-roblox-banning-anti-predator-activism\/embed?style=Cover\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"'Schlep' and Steven Vanderporten on Roblox Banning Anti-Predator Activism\"><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>Vanderporten noted that Schlep had spent years trying to clean up the platform: &ldquo;He was heavily invested into trying to clean up the platform, find and identify and report both to Roblox and to authorities, individuals who were misusing the platform, who were using it to try to lure children.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Radio host Hans von Spakovsky asked whether state or federal law enforcement might investigate Roblox. Vanderporten said five states &mdash; Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kentucky &mdash; have active investigations, with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3856826\/florida-james-uthmeier-launches-investigation-roblox\/\">Florida&rsquo;s attorney general<\/a> upgrading its investigation from civil to criminal after reviewing subpoenaed material.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-internal-support-and-calls-for-oversight\">Internal support and calls for oversight<\/h2>\n<p>Co-host Andrew Langer noted reports of &ldquo;Free Schlep&rdquo; posters appearing at Roblox headquarters.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Someone was putting up <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FreeSchlep?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FreeSchlep<\/a> posters at Roblox HQ <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UJH6L8i4QM\">pic.twitter.com\/UJH6L8i4QM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Schlep (@RealSchlep) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealSchlep\/status\/1993070176552575443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Schlep confirmed the support, saying, &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been an incredible amount of support online from all across the internet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He said he has been speaking to lawmakers: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d very much love to see any form of investigation go on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-roblox-touts-new-facial-age-verification-system\">Roblox touts new facial age-verification system<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">On Nov. 18, Roblox&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/corp.roblox.com\/newsroom\/2025\/11\/roblox-requires-age-checks-limits-minor-and-adult-chat\">announced<\/a>&nbsp;in a press release and during a&nbsp;<em>New York Times<\/em>&nbsp;podcast interview its plans to require facial age verification for chat access, a first-in-industry move aimed at separating <\/span>minors from adults to reduce grooming risks.<\/p>\n<p>The company insisted it is committed to children&rsquo;s safety, saying, &ldquo;Protecting children is a top priority.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-national-crackdown-on-online-child-exploitation-networks-intensifies\">National crackdown on online child exploitation networks intensifies<\/h2>\n<p>Federal law enforcement has dramatically escalated its fight against online predators nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the FBI revealed major progress targeting the notorious &ldquo;764&rdquo; child-exploitation network, which operates across multiple online platforms frequented by minors.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/3895522\/thanksgiving-prices-decline-third-straight-holiday-season\/\"><strong>THANKSGIVING PRICES DECLINE FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino warned in a post on X that &ldquo;the 764 Network is a heinous child-exploitation ring that often targets children online and coerces them into acts of violence, self-harm, animal abuse, suicide, and sexual abuse.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He said the FBI now has more than 300 active investigations into the network: &ldquo;At the beginning of the year, our teams redoubled efforts to go after these networks and eliminate them. &hellip; It is a top priority for us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>The Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Roblox for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roblox CEO labels predator crisis an &#8216;opportunity&#8217; amid gamer ban<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2678,"featured_media":2514609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Roblox-HQ-iStock-2118776217.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50913,67701,67702,33391,61366],"class_list":["post-2514608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ceo-2","tag-child-predator","tag-gaming-ban","tag-online-safety","tag-roblox"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Roblox-HQ-iStock-2118776217.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514608"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2514612,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514608\/revisions\/2514612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2514609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}