Roblox and Boycotts: When to Walk Away from Companies That Hate You
The recent firestorm surrounding Roblox’s leadership has parents rightly outraged. From allegations of predators exploiting children on the platform, to tone-deaf executive comments about transforming Roblox into a virtual dating hub, to lawsuits accusing the company of negligence, concerned mothers and fathers are not overreacting. They are fulfilling a core parental obligation.
Because protecting their kids means sounding the alarm when a company they trusted with entertaining their children becomes a breeding ground for corruption.
Image: Roblox, Chris Hansen, edited by Michael Hoglund
Some parents have responded with petitions, calls for the CEO’s resignation, and vows to boycott Roblox altogether.
Good. When a corporation demonstrates contempt for the people it claims to serve; when it takes your money while disregarding your children’s safety, you are under no obligation to contribute to kids’ delinquency. In fact, stepping back may be the most moral course of action.
That caluclus forms the heart of the principle I’ve repeated for years: Don’t give money to people who hate you.
Your financial support is not neutral. It enables those who despise your values to strengthen their influence. Contrary to what some might say, refusing to hand over your dollars, clicks, or time is not an empty protest. It’s an act of integrity.
Related: The Illusion of Choice and the Responsibility to Walk Away
That said, it’s worth clarifying what this principle does, and does not, demand. Some well-meaning people take it to mean you must never do business with any company, group, or individual who has ever acted in a manner at odds with your moral principles. Spelled out that way, it’s apparent that’s a lofty but impossible standard. In a fallen world, every institution will at some point fall short of the Truth and the Good. If we made flawless purity the measure, we’d have no grocery stores, gas stations, or electricity, and certainly no internet.
The proper course is not perfectionism but prudence. We are obliged to avoid formal cooperation with grave, intrinsic evil. That means never giving active support to acts that are morally indefensible in themselves. At the same time, we must not add unnecessarily to our own or others’ burdens without sufficiently serious reason. It’s not a sin to buy a loaf of bread from a shop whose owner holds different views than you. But it is a grave matter to bankroll an entertainment company that knowingly fosters predation against children.
Roblox is not the only example. Parents have already expressed outrage at Disney for pushing smut and propaganda into children’s entertainment. Disney’s creative direction in recent years has sidelined storytelling to brand evangelize kids into its secular dogmas. While the studio even strip-mined our cultural patrimony under Uncle Walt, the Mouse’s output now recursively cannibalizes its own catalog to undermine the families who fund it. Parents who see their children subtly catechized into ideas hostile to their faith and dignity are right to say, “No more.”
Related: Nostalgia in Light of Generational Theory
Netflix, too, has faced public backlash for similar reasons. The streaming giant has produced and promoted material that sexualizes minors, most notoriously with Cuties. The defense that the show was meant as a critique of exploitation rang hollow to millions of parents who could see plainly what was happening on the screen. For those families, canceling their Netflix subscription was a moral stand; a refusal to financially support to a company that saw fit to sell the corruption of children to children.
Screen cap: Netflix
Even outside of entertainment, the same principle applies. Major toy brands and sports leagues, once trusted sources of wholesome fun, have increasingly chosen to side with anti-family agendas. They make their positions clear in advertising campaigns and corporate statements. Yet many families continue buying the product, renewing the subscriptions, and purchasing the tickets.
Why? Because sin is fun, and convenience often trumps conscience.
Related: The Music Makers
That’s not to say parents don’t face a difficult, seemingly contradictory, truth: Boycotts in themselves are unlikely to topple international conglomerates. Roblox will not shut down if you sign a petition. Disney won’t go bankrupt because a family canceled their trip to Orlando. Netflix isn’t going to fold because a handful of households pulled the plug.
But that doesn’t mean those deeds are meaningless.
Because not paying people who hate you isn’t mainly about sending a message to the boardroom. It’s about preserving your soul. Refusing to cooperate with your and your children’s corruption takes ethical integrity that’s more precious than any convenience.
If you view every boycott as a political campaign against megacorps you’re dead set on winning, you will eventually burn out. The machine is too big. It can leverage a massive hoard of ill-gotten IPs for unlimitied loans and use the feds’ infintie money printer as an ATM.
But if you view your refusal to give money to people who hate you as an act of holiness; a quiet but firm declaration that you will not help bankroll wickedness, then even the smallest resistance carries eternal weight. It strengthens your conscience while setting an example for your children, and it reminds you that your faith is lived in deeds, not just in words.
Of course, prudence must always guide application. You can’t withdraw entirely from the economy. To demand otherwise would place a burden too great to bear. Discernment is picking your battles; drawing the line where grave matter is concerned. And it means refusing to spend your time, treasure, and talent on those who openly despise you.
To be sure, companies like Roblox, Disney, and Netflix have demonstrated behavior serious enough to place themselves on the wrong side of that line. When children’s innocence is endangered; when families are undermined, you have not only the right but the duty to walk away.
So yes, parents are justified in cutting ties with Roblox. They are wise to pull their kids off platforms that have betrayed their trust. They are equally justified in canceling Disney+ or dropping Netflix over those companies’ hostile agendas. Those are not acts of futility, but of faithfulness.
What can you do? Take stock of where your money goes. Before spending, ask yourself “Who benefits?” If the answer is someone who despises your family or your faith, walk away.
Remember: You don’t need to wage war on every front. Nor can you topple the whole machine. You need only refuse cooperation when grave evil rears its ugly head. That’s enough.
You can’t fight every battle. But you can fight the right battles. And when you do, you’ll discover a liberating truth: Refusing to fund your enemies is not a burden but a blessing. It’s the first step toward reclaiming your dignity and protecting your children’s future. That’s worth far more than the fleeting convenience of one more subscription, one more movie ticket, or one more park ride promising fun while serving up corruption.
Support creators who want to entertain you. Don't give money to people who hate you.
Brian Niemeier is a best-selling novelist, editor, and Dragon Award winner with over a decade in newpub. For direct, in-person writing and editing insights, join his Patreon.