Access to the popular gaming platform Roblox has been banned

Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) announced that after blocking access to Instagram, it also banned access to the online game platform called Roblox, which is very popular among children.

According to the information on BTK’s official website, access to the Roblox.com site was blocked by the decision of the Adana 6th Criminal Court of Peace dated August 7, 2024. Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç made a statement regarding the issue on his X account.

Within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the game platform Roblox and its links in the application markets, due to containing content that will cause the abuse of children, were investigated under the title “Regulation of Publications Made on the Internet and These Publications”.

— Yılmaz TUNÇ (@yilmaztunc) August 7, 2024

In the written statement made by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, it was stated that the access ban was taken as a result of an investigation carried out by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. In the statement, “The decision to close the online game platform Roblox in our country was made by the decision of the Adana 6th Criminal Court of Peace as a result of the investigation conducted by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. “The decision was implemented by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority as a result of its publication in UYAP.”

Official statement from Roblox

Roblox officials made a statement after the access ban. In the statement, they stated that they were aware that users in Turkey could not access the platform and that they contacted the relevant authorities to resolve this situation. Roblox’s statement included the following statements: “We are aware that Roblox is currently unavailable in Turkey and we have contacted the relevant authorities to find out why and to make sure we are back online as soon as possible.”

What Do Users and Parents Think?

The closure of Roblox caused great disappointment, especially among children and young people. The platform is known as not just a gaming space, but also a place where users can create their own games and socialize. Parents state that they want their children to be safe, but such bans may not be a permanent solution.

There is no clear information about when Roblox will be accessible again. Depending on the outcome of the negotiations between the platform officials and the Turkish authorities, it will be clear in the coming days whether the access ban will be lifted or not.