The popular online free-to-play game Roblox has been banned in Turkey due to concerns the country’s government has over possible child exploitation.
Roblox, which launched in 2006, has recently found itself in a lot of hot water as multiple reports have come out over the last few years suggesting the game might not be safe for kids to play. In July, Bloomberg reported that Roblox sent over 13,000 reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2023 alone. Earlier this year, an executive at Roblox Studio suggested the game, which lets users create their own content and make money off in-game purchases, could provide jobs to kids living in slums. Now, one country has seemingly seen enough and has outright banned Roblox.
On August 7, Turkey’s Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç announced on Twitter that Roblox had been banned completely in the country “due to content that could lead to the exploitation of children.”
Türkiye Today says the sudden ban was primarily driven by recent reports of in-game sexual content as well as alleged child exploitation happening in Roblox
“According to our Constitution,” posted Tunç, “our State is obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of our children. It is everyone’s duty to look out for, protect, and support the best interests of our children.”
In a statement provided to Eurogamer, Roblox claimed it had spent the last two decades making the game “one of the safest online platforms” for its youngest players.
“Ensuring the safety of our users is at the core of everything we do,” a Roblox spokesperson told Eurogamer. “We respect the laws and regulations in countries where we operate and share local lawmakers’ commitment 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 shit going on in Roblox, including that young kids were being overworked to produce games in an effort to produce more content and make more money. In April, Roblox Studio head Stefano Corazza was asked about growing concerns about children being exploited in Roblox. This was his answer:
“So, I can be like 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and then now, with just a laptop, I can create something, make money, and then sustain my life.”
This comment didn’t go over well online and led to a lot of backlash. Shortly after the comment went public, the company was forced to release a lengthy response claiming that most creators are over 18 and that the company has never hired teenagers.
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