YouTuber Schlep says Roblox asked him to come back months after banning him for exposing predators on its platform. The creator claims the late outreach underlines ongoing questions about Roblox and its handling of child safety.
Michael “Schlep” is a Texas-based YouTuber who started his content creation career in late 2021. He has since gained more than 2.25 million subscribers, rising to prominence with a variety of Roblox videos. He’s best known for exposing predators on the platform through organized sting operations, the outcomes of which he shared with law enforcement. In August 2025, Roblox Corporation banned Schlep from its ecosystem, citing multiple terms of service violations stemming from those operations. It also sent him a cease-and-desist letter threatening legal action if he was to continue making his viral videos exposing predators. The move prompted widespread online backlash, including a petition calling for Roblox CEO David Baszucki to resign, which has amassed over 294,000 signatures as of this writing.
Schlep Says Roblox Offered To Unban Him After Months of Silence
Nearly three months after getting banned and teaming up with To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen on a Roblox documentary, Schlep says a senior company executive contacted him directly to discuss a possible return. In a 37-minute video posted on November 8, the YouTuber said he heard from Roblox Chief Systems Officer Matt Kaufman, who emailed him to acknowledge his ban and ask whether there was “some way we can keep you active in the Roblox community.”
Schlep Says Roblox’s Offer Is Missing the Point
Schlep spent years publicly calling for a direct line of communication with Roblox Corp on matters of child safety. However, now that he had finally received it, he rejected Kaufman’s offer due to the circumstances surrounding it, arguing that the gesture misses the point. “This was never about me getting unbanned,” the Roblox YouTuber said. “It was about the victims, the players, the community that has been neglected forever.”
This was never about me getting unbanned. It was about the victims, the players, the community that has been neglected forever.
Schlep says his motivation for exposing predators on Roblox stems from his own alleged experience of being groomed on the platform between 2015 and 2018, when he was between 12 and 15 years old. He claims the individual responsible was a Roblox developer with partner status. That experience, he says, is what led him to begin organizing sting operations aimed at exposing predators. “I would trade every single account I own for Roblox to make the basic moves in safety that they did after Liz Murrill filed her lawsuit,” the YouTuber said in his latest video, referencing the Louisiana Attorney General’s recent legal action against the company. Kentucky, Florida, and Texas have since joined the efforts to prosecute Roblox‘s handling of child safety.
I would trade every single account I own for Roblox to make the basic moves in safety that they did after [Louisiana AG] Liz Murrill filed her lawsuit.
Why Schlep Was Banned from Roblox in the First Place
Roblox Corporation stock has plummeted 20 points since the mid-August 2025 controversy. The company previously stated that Schlep was banned for violating its Terms of Service, namely rules prohibiting entrapment, impersonation, and the simulation of child endangerment. While acknowledging that his intentions may have been well-meaning, the company argued that unsanctioned sting operations can disrupt its own child safety efforts—efforts it says are conducted in coordination with law enforcement. Roblox also warned that such actions may expose real minors to unsafe interactions and encourage even more vigilante behavior, potentially exacerbating the very issues they aim to address.
- Released
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September 1, 2006
- ESRB
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Teen / Diverse Content: Discretion Advised,
In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact - Developer(s)
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Roblox Corporation
- Publisher(s)
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Roblox Corporation
