Roblox banned in Türkiye over alleged child exploitation and incentivizing them to engage in inappropriate activities

Türkiye has imposed a ban on Roblox, a game platform featuring thousands of UGC experiences. The country’s officials said the decision was made to protect children.

Roblox was banned in Türkiye by the Adana 6th Criminal Court of Peace following an investigation into the platform’s content. According to Türkiye Today, the country’s Directorate of Communications cited the following reasons for blocking Roblox:

• Sexual content that could lead to the exploitation of children, including the promotion of homosexuality through virtual parties;
• Bot accounts distributing virtual currency (Robux) to incentivize young users to engage in inappropriate activities;
• The inability to monitor and regulate such content by the government.

Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç issued a statement on X, saying that the country should “protect and support the best interests of our children.” He added that any activities “that will negatively affect the development of our children, each of whom is a precious gift, will never be allowed.”

Roblox said it has already reached out to the authorities to “ascertain why and ensure we are back online as soon as possible.” “Our focus is always on safety and civility as we bring people together to build, learn, play and explore and we do this in a way that respects the laws and regulations where we operate,” the company’s statement reads.

Last week, Roblox released its Q2 report, with its bookings up 22% year-over-year to $955.2 million. The platform’s daily active users reached a record 79.5 million, and the company also paid out more than $200 million to content creators in the first half of 2024.