With the growth of its young user base, Roblox — an online gaming platform that provides users with access to millions of games — has become a hub for youth activism, with children and teens coming together to organize virtual protests through social media. Recently, as the presence of ICE has intensified, many young people have continued to find comfort in Roblox, according to AP News.
User-generated games in Roblox, such as Bloxburg and Brookhaven, meant to mimic the real world, give users the freedom to build their own houses and work jobs all in-game, making them perfect contenders to mimic real-life protests.
Following Trump’s inauguration at the beginning of 2026, players have organized anti-ICE protests. User @diego.sinclair on TikTok, shared a post captioned “Keep ICE out of Brookhaven,” with players simulating an offline protest with avatars dressed in SWAT outfits and Mexican flags being raised.
“As someone who has played Roblox ever since I was little, I believe that it could have a significant impact on how children and teens view politics,” said Safiya Lowe ’28.
Alongside the anti-ICE movement, Roblox users have also made their presence known in movements such as the Palestinian struggle for liberation and the fight for immigration rights.
Roblox’s unique user-generated content platform has long distinguished it from other gaming platforms, emphasizing user creativity and social connection and making it a powerful tool for outreach catered to children and teens, with this influence dating back to 2020.
According to Britannica, On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was arrested and murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer in Minnesota. News of his murder sparked immediate nationwide outrage among adults, teens, and children. Following his death, at the peak of the COVID-19 quarantine, adults organized nationwide protests to draw attention to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, but minors who were unable to attend prioritized spreading their voices through Roblox.
User @barbz.n.bratz. on TikTok shared a post captioned, “Do your research! Justice for George Floyd,” sharing her experience attending a Roblox protest in Bloxburg. She wrote that “[she] can’t attend any protests, so [she] thought [she] would attend one online.”
Teens would choose specific in-game servers, choose a time, and spread the word through social media or while playing Roblox.
“It was different for kids who were truly scared and feeling helpless back then, and they were just trying to do anything, so Roblox was a solution,” Sanaa Rodwell-Simon ’28 added.
The youth have continued to use Roblox as a venue for protests to spread their voices and advocate for movements during times of political unrest. Through Roblox’s accessibility and user-generated content, the game has allowed children and teens to express themselves politically, spread awareness, and express solidarity.
“I bond with a lot of people over politics, and that definitely would not be as strong if I didn’t learn about it when I was so young … Now I know how to truly express myself in terms of what I believe in because I got such an early start to it,” said Morgan Krasner ’27.
