The Turkish government has effectively banned Roblox in the country, blocking access to all users citing concerns over "child exploitation." The move comes five days after the same body, the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), blocked Instagram in the country, for which no reason has been given (although it is speculated that this relates to how the platform restricted posts about Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, following his assassination).
An official from the BTK outlined four reasons for the ban to the publication Turkey Today. First is "sexual exploitation concerns", with the ban "primarily driven by reports of sexual content on Roblox that allegedly exploits children." The second is "rampant reports of pedophilia", with "the platform’s virtual parties accused of being a gathering spot for pedophiles", which ties into the third problem: Robux. The BTK claims Robux is used "to incentivize children’s participation in the aforementioned problematic activities" as well as gambling.
