Why Roblox is blocked in Türkiye

A Turkish court has blocked online gaming platform Roblox, citing concerns over content that could lead to the exploitation of children.

"Our country is obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of our children," Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on the social media platform X. "Using technology in a negative way is never acceptable."

He said a Turkish court blocked access to the game after an investigation by prosecutors in the southern province of Adana that stemmed from concerns that the platform was being used for the exploitation of children.

Roblox, a popular platform for creating and playing user-generated games, has faced criticism in several countries for containing inappropriate content that exposes children to abuse and paedophilia.

A recurring stage for abuse

In the colourful, seemingly innocent world of Roblox, where millions of children gather daily to play and create, a darker reality rears its head very often.

Take the case of one user named DoctorRofatnik, or simply “Doc” who became a disturbing symbol of this hidden danger.

With his charm and popularity, Doc captivated young players on the platform, building a following through his game, Sonic Eclipse Online, and his brash persona on social media.

However, beneath the surface, Doc was embroiled in a web of predatory behaviour, manipulating his young audience and turning a digital space where kids gather into a trap for exploitation.

Doc's dark and provocative humor, including jokes about rape and derogatory remarks towards young girls, gained him a disturbing following on Roblox.

However, when screenshots of his predatory messages to a preteen surfaced, Roblox Corp. swiftly shut down his account, though his controversial persona left a lasting impact.

Roblox, a platform designed for children, where over 40 percent of its users are preteens, has become a fertile ground for predators.

With only 3,000 moderators overseeing its vast digital landscape—significantly fewer than platforms like TikTok, which employs 40,000 moderators for its larger user base—Roblox struggles to keep its young users safe.

Unlike other social media apps that restrict or sanitise content for children under 13, Roblox's very nature makes it a target for those seeking to exploit its youngest players.

Since 2018, at least two dozen people in the US have been arrested for abducting or abusing victims they groomed on Roblox, with alarming cases surfacing in just the past year.

According to a Bloomberg report, these predators often blend into the virtual playground, using Robux, its virtual currency, and anonymous identities to lure children into dangerous situations.

Despite the company’s emphasis on child safety, moderating the platform’s 13 million games has proven to be an overwhelming task, leaving many parents worried.

A Turkish user commented on social media about the game: "My son was scammed three times on Roblox this summer, so we decided to close it down. I was going to complain to the authorities about this lack of oversight, so it's a good thing it was shut down."

The task of making it safe for children is exacerbated by Roblox’s decision not to collect real names, email addresses, or phone numbers due to its child-focused nature, making it difficult to track and stop these predators.

Experts like Kirra Pendergast, founder and CEO of Safe on Social Media, warn that the risks are far greater than parents realise.

She recounts instances of children being asked to engage in inappropriate activities in exchange for virtual currency, raising serious concerns about the platform’s ability to protect its users. Pendergast’s stark assessment: “If I could wipe one app off the face of the Earth right now, it would be Roblox.”

A Businessweek reporter recently created an account on Roblox, pretending to be a 4-year-old, and entered a popular game called Brookhaven RP.

Her avatar appeared in a playground, and the first message in the public chat was from another user stating, "I’m 8." The reporter responded with, "I’m 4." Within seconds, she received a friend request, and a private chat started. The stranger asked, "U single?" When the reporter repeated that she was 4, the stranger replied, "Do u have 👻 chat," referring to Snapchat, and added, "Age is just a number 😉."

Online grooming grounds

Associate Professor Dr Turgay Sirin, a faculty member at Istanbul Medeniyet University and the Director of the Istanbul Family Foundation’s Scientific Research Centre, stated that one of the most critical elements of digital crimes is exploitation.

Sirin pointed out that with the increasing prevalence of internet-based applications, such as multiplayer digital games that children can easily access, exploitation has taken on different forms.

“In online exploitation, elements such as involving children in sexual activities in front of a camera, forcing victims to produce sexually explicit photos and videos, producing and distributing exploitation content, whether commercially or not, and issuing commands or threats to remain silent are present.”

Emphasising that not only children and young people but also adults are under threat in this situation, Sirin added, "The findings we have obtained have reached a level that is concerning and worrisome.

We are seeing the emergence of new types of addictions, such as cyberbullying, digital game addiction, and technology addiction. We have observed that the age group of children under threat has dropped below 12, reaching as low as 7.5 and even 4 years old."

Sirin further said several scientific studies have shown, especially in Türkiye, that children spend an average of three hours a day in digital environments.