Russia has blocked access to popular gaming platform Roblox due to concerns over child safety and extremism, including the spread of LGBT-related content.
The country’s media regulator said Roblox had become rife with “inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children”, according to local news outlets.
The multiplayer online platform ranks among the world’s most popular, but has been heavily criticised over its lack of features to protect children.
A spokesperson from Roblox said the company respects the laws where it operates, adding that the platform provides a “positive space” for learning.
“We have a deep commitment to safety and we have a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent harmful content on our platform,” the spokesperson said in response to the BBC.
Russian media reported that Roskomnadzor, the country’s media regulator, blocked the US platform over concerns about terrorism-related content and information on LGBT issues, which are classified as extremist and banned in Russia.
Such activity is often found in Roblox’s servers, where scenarios simulating terrorist attacks, as well as gambling, have surfaced, the agency is quoted as saying.
Roblox, which ranks among Russia’s most downloaded mobile games in recent years, allows players to create and share their own games – a model that has made regulation challenging.
The Roskomnadzor also flagged reports of sexual harassment of children and the sharing of intimate images on the platform. Other countries have raised similar issues, and the platform is already banned in certain countries, including Turkey, over concerns about child safety.
Roblox also came under scrutiny in Singapore in 2023 after the government there said a self-radicalised teenager had joined ISIS-themed servers on the platform.
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the platform over “flagrantly ignoring” safety laws and “deceiving parents” about the dangers it posed to young people.
This month, Roblox announced it would stop allowing children to chat with adult strangers, after longstanding criticism over the platform’s networking feature.
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