Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced on X on Wednesday that the decision to block online game platform Roblox was made because the platform contained “content that could lead to the exploitation of children.”
The ban was ordered by the Adana 6th Criminal Court of Peace and follows a similar recent ban on Instagram.
Tunç emphasized the government’s duty to protect children, stating, “Safeguarding the best interests of our children, our future, is everyone’s responsibility.”
Çocukların istismarına neden olacak içerikler barındırması sebebiyle Roblox isimli oyun platformuna ve uygulama marketlerindeki linklerine, Adana Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı tarafından yürütülen soruşturma kapsamında “İnternet Ortamında Yapılan Yayınların Düzenlenmesi ve Bu Yayınlar…
— Yılmaz TUNÇ (@yilmaztunc) August 7, 2024
Roblox, developed by American company the Roblox Corporation, allows users to program and play games created by themselves or others. The platform has a large user base among children and teenagers in Turkey. Despite its popularity, Roblox has faced criticism for its content moderation, microtransactions and alleged exploitative practices toward children.
Roblox Corporation acknowledged the ban and noted that they are aware of Roblox being inaccessible in Turkey. They mentioned they are in contact with the authorities to understand the reasons for the ban and to work on restoring access as soon as possible.
Roblox is not the only video game-related platform to be banned by the Turkish government. In February 2024 the streaming sites Kick and Twitch were banned following controversy over gambling streams.
The recent bans are part of a broader trend of increasing scrutiny and regulation of online platforms by Turkish authorities. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration has been regularly accused of suppressing freedom of expression and information, with Turkey ranking among the “not free” countries in terms of internet freedom, according to Freedom House.
Instagram has been banned in Turkey since Friday, with government officials and President Erdoğan accusing the platform of censorship and failing to remove posts they deem offensive.
Turkish authorities have in the past temporarily blocked access to other social media sites, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Wikipedia.
