Scale of the problem Roblox, which is used by an estimated 3.4 million children in the UK, allows people to create avatars, chat and play games built by other users. Police logged 1,504 offences between 2020 and 2024 in which Roblox was referenced in crime reports — a figure that rose from 185 in 2020 to 439 in 2024. The cases span rape, sexual grooming, harassment, threats, hacking and serious safeguarding incidents. Freedom of information disclosures reveal that nearly every force has recorded an increase in alleged crimes mentioning the word Roblox since 2020. The word’s appearance in free-text reports...