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Turkey has banned popular video game platform Roblox just days after a country-wide Instagram ban, following reports of inappropriate sexual content exploiting children, according to Türkiye Today.
The country-wide restrictions are the outcome of an investigation by the chief public prosecutors’ office, with the Turkiye Directorate of Communications blaming “promotion of homosexuality” as a factor, alongside Roblox’s virtual in-game currency offering incentives for kids.
Turkey’s minister of justice, Yilmaz Tunç, explained the reasons for the ban in an official government statement on X, saying that the country would never permit “abuse of children” and other activities that “negatively affect” child development.
Five days ago, Turkey banned Instagram following a dispute over content related to Hamas. According to a post on X by Turkey’s head of communications, Fahrettin Altun, the social media platform actively prevented people posting condolence messages for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who was recently killed.
This isn’t the first time Turkey has banned social media platforms and video sharing sites. In 2014, it blocked YouTube and Twitter over concerns for national security, and last year briefly banned Twitter after an earthquake.
Roblox is no Stranger to Child Exploitation Complaints
With an estimated 75% of children aged 9 to 12 in the US using Roblox monthly, this isn’t the first time the video gaming platform has faced child exploitation complaints. Earlier this year it was slapped with a lawsuit filed on behalf of parents over deceptive advertising and exploiting child labor.
In 2022, the company was sued for enabling the sexual and financial exploitation of a 10-year old girl, with Discord, Meta, and Snap also named in the lawsuit.
In response to news of the Turkish ban, a statement from Roblox said it had “spent almost 20 years” making the online platform “one of the safest,” particularly for the youngest users.
For more information on security and censorship issues in Turkey, see our guide to the best VPNs for Turkey.
