Home / Technology / Roblox Blocked in Russia Over LGBTQ Content
Roblox Blocked in Russia Over LGBTQ Content
4 Dec
Summary
- Russia banned Roblox citing LGBTQ content as extremist.
- Roblox faces safety issues with child predators and probes.
- Millions installed Roblox in Russia before the ban.
The popular online gaming platform Roblox has been banned in Russia, as reported by Russian state media. The country's communications agency cited the presence of LGBTQ content on the user-generated platform as a key reason for the ban, aligning with Russia's laws against "extremist activity" related to public LGBTQ advocacy.
This action unfolds while Roblox grapples with significant safety and moderation challenges globally. Recent reports have highlighted instances where underage users were exposed to child predators. In the United States, the platform has faced legal scrutiny from attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana. In response, Roblox has introduced enhanced age verification and content moderation tools.
Further safety measures include mandatory facial verification for chat features, set to be implemented in January. Roblox also asked developers to flag content related to sensitive social or political issues, which drew criticism from gaming industry advocacy groups for potentially silencing important voices and legitimizing discrimination. An estimated 70 million Roblox installations existed in Russia prior to this ban.
