Roblox banned in Turkey over ‘child exploitation’ concerns

The Turkish government has imposed a nationwide ban on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children that hosts mostly user-generated content. The ban was imposed amid concerns about alleged child exploitation and inappropriate content.

While no explanation was initially given for the ban, an official from Turkey’s Communications Directorate quoted by Turkiye Today (via Dexerto) as saying the decision was motivated by reported inappropriate sexual content on the platform. The official claimed the platform was a meeting place for pedophiles and that the in-game currency Robux was being used to encourage children to participate in inappropriate activities, a claim supported by a recent Businessweek report on how predators were using Roblox to solicit children.

The official also raised the issue of gambling on the platform, alleging predatory tactics targeting children. In addition to all these issues, the official also said that there is a general problem with regulating inappropriate content on the platform, and that Roblox’s existing oversight measures are not enough to address these issues.

The Roblox ban comes just days after Turkey blocked Instagram for all users in the country, while other Meta-owned apps and platforms remain accessible. The Instagram and Roblox bans do not appear to be related at this time.

Roblox issued a statement on the ban, saying it was “currently working with local authorities to resolve this issue,” noting that it has millions of users in Turkey, including some developers who rely on the platform for all of their income. “We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our community safe and share the global commitment of policymakers to protecting children,” Roblox said.

As a platform built on user-generated content, Roblox has faced accusations of a different kind of child exploitation in the past, with concerns that the company profits from child labor. Roblox’s studio boss disputed that claim, saying that most of its creators are in their 20s and that young developers benefited from learning valuable skills.