Country bans Roblox over possible child abuse

The popular free online game Roblox has been banned in Turkey due to Turkish government concerns over possible child exploitation.

Roblox, which launched in 2006, has found itself in a lot of hot water of late, as multiple reports have surfaced over the past few years suggesting that the game may not be safe for children to play. In July, Bloomberg reported that Roblox had sent more than 13,000 reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2023 alone. Earlier this year, an executive at Roblox Studio suggested that the game, which lets users create their own content and earn money from in-game purchases, could provide jobs for children living in slums. Now, one country appears to have seen enough and has banned Roblox outright.

On August 7, Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced on Twitter that Roblox had been completely banned in the country “due to content that could lead to child exploitation.”

Türkiye Today says the sudden ban was mainly caused by recent reports of sexual content in the game and alleged child exploitation in Roblox

“According to our Constitution,” Tunç posted, “our state is obligated to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of our children. It is everyone’s duty to care for, protect and support the best interests of our children.”

In a statement to Eurogamer, Roblox claimed that it has spent the past two decades working to make the game “one of the safest online platforms” for its youngest players.

“Ensuring the safety of our users is at the heart of everything we do,” a Roblox spokesperson told Eurogamer. “We respect the laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and share the commitment of local lawmakers to children. We look forward to working together to ensure Roblox is back online in Turkey as soon as possible.”

In 2021, People Make Games reported on the alleged shady stuff going on in Roblox, including young children being overworked to produce games in an effort to crank out more content and make more money. In April, Roblox Studio Head Stefano Corazza was asked about the growing concerns about child exploitation in Roblox. This was his response:

“So I can be 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and now with just a laptop I can create something, make money and sustain my life.”

The comment was not well-received online and led to a lot of backlash. Shortly after the comment became public, the company was forced to publish a lengthy response claiming that most of its creators are over 18 and that the company has never hired teenagers.

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