The Turkish government has effectively banned Roblox in the country, blocking access to all users citing concerns of "child exploitation." The move comes five days after the same agency, the Turkish Information and Communication Technology Agency (BTK), blocked Instagram in the country, for reasons that have not been disclosed (although it is speculated that this is related to the platform's restriction of posts about Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his assassination (although it is speculated that this is related to the fact that the platform restricted posts about Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his assassination).

BTK officials explained to Turkey Today four reasons for the ban: first, "sexual exploitation concerns," "primarily because of reports that sexual content on Roblox is exploiting children"; second, "rampant pedophilia," "the BTK claims that Robux is used not only for gambling, but also to "motivate children to participate in problematic activities such as those mentioned above. It claims.

Finally, BTK states that "the inability to effectively monitor and regulate inappropriate content on Roblux was an important factor in the decision."

According to BTK, Roblox Corporation's "monitoring mechanisms" are insufficient to address these issues. and was therefore prohibited, according to BTK.

Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunc said that Roblox "contains content that could lead to the abuse of children," later stating on Twitter that "it is everyone's duty to look out for, protect, and support the best interests of the children who are the guarantors of our future." He added.

Roblox Corporation then issued the following statement to BBC Turkey: "We are aware that Roblox is currently unavailable in Turkey and we are contacting the relevant authorities to determine the cause and bring it back online as soon as possible.

However, the decision to simply ban Roblox and the context of Instagram has outraged prominent figures in Turkey. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu said, "It is incomprehensible that after Instagram, access to Roblox, an online gaming platform with over 15 million users and where users can develop games, was also banned. The people making these decisions are ignorant of the new world, economy, and technology."

Roblox has faced significant criticism in recent years for its safety record, with several high-profile cases showing how predators are using the platform to target children: the horrific abduction of a 15-year-old girl, whom he met on Roblox, by a pedophile. While the case is the most recent example to make the news, according to data reported by Bloomberg, U.S. police have arrested more than two dozen people "accused of kidnapping or abusing victims" they met on Roblox since 2018.

Still, an outright ban does not seem to be a solution at all; the Roblox Corporation has repeatedly pointed out that these problems are not limited to Roblox and emphasized its various safety initiatives now and over the years. The effectiveness of these efforts continues to be debated, but such arguments will not hold water when dealing with the dictatorial regime of conservative figure Recep Erdogan. Just last week, Erdogan described Instagram as "digital fascism disguised as freedom." Put another way, why did Roblox get the piece? It's not about anyone but the Turks."