Critical Moderation Flaw Allows Inappropriate Avatars to Remain on Roblox: Avatar Reset Failing to Execute

This issue was initially reported by myself back in October of last year. Since then, engineers had the time to edit my post to remove the evidence & repro steps from public view, and mark the report as “Fixed”. Despite all this, the bug is not fixed and the original behavior still remains to this day. Re-filing this as the handling of the original report was extremely unprofessional.

There is a critical issue with the current moderation system where the “Avatar reset” functionality no longer works as intended. This flaw is an extreme safety concern, allowing inappropriate and illegal content to remain on the platform indefinitely. Despite moderators’ actions to reset avatars that violate community guidelines, the system fails to actually reset the avatars, meaning that harmful, explicit, or otherwise inappropriate content is still visible to users, including children, on Roblox.

Reproduction Steps:

1. Report a user with an inappropriate avatar (e.g., containing nudity, drug paraphernalia, etc.).
2. Wait for a moderation action to be taken (you will receive a warning or “Avatar reset” violation notice).
3. Check the Violations & Appeals page, and observe that there is an entry for “Avatar reset.”
4. Despite the appearance of this violation, the user’s avatar remains unchanged.

I have tested this issue using an alt account, adding a cigarette accessory to my avatar and reporting it. I received a warning for violating “Illegal and Regulated Content,” and an “Avatar reset” appeared on my Violations & Appeals page, but my avatar was not reset. This confirms that the intended behavior should reset the avatar, but something is preventing this from happening.

Some time ago, this moderation function was effective, properly resetting inappropriate avatars to a clean, default appearance. However, this issue has been ongoing for several months, and the moderation system is no longer performing as it should. Given that this is the last line of defense to prevent children from seeing extremely inappropriate content, this is an urgent matter that requires immediate attention.

This bug is a significant loophole that’s currently being abused by malicious users to display harmful content on Roblox. Fixing this would be revolutionary for moderation, restoring the ability to completely reset avatars, which is clearly intended behavior considering its inclusion in violation history and appeals. Without this, Roblox is at risk of hosting illegal and explicit content, which damages the platform’s reputation and safety for all users, especially minors.

Expected Behavior:

When a moderator initiates an “Avatar reset,” the user’s avatar should revert to a default noob/bacon character, effectively removing any inappropriate content from the platform. This functionality was working in the past and was a crucial tool for maintaining platform safety.

Actual Behavior:

Currently, when an “Avatar reset” is executed, the system issues a warning and registers an “Avatar reset” violation on the Violations & Appeals page, but the user’s avatar remains unchanged. This means that inappropriate content, including explicit nudity, pornography, and depictions of illicit substances, can stay visible indefinitely, even after multiple reports and actions taken by moderators.

Screenshot of the violation message:

Examples of avatars that should hopefully showcase the severity of this issue:

• Elfieyana - Roblox

This issue must be addressed urgently. Failure to fix the “Avatar reset” functionality allows explicit and harmful content to persist on the platform, posing a severe risk to Roblox’s user base, including minors. I hope to see the previous, effective functionality reinstated, ensuring a safer environment for all users.

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