The Turkish government has blocked access to Roblox following a government investigation that found content that could lead to child exploitation. “According to our Constitution, our State is obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of our children,” Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç says in a machine-translated post on X.
It’s unclear when Roblox might be unblocked in the country. “On Aug 7, we learned that Roblox was blocked in Türkiye, and we are working urgently to understand the issue with the goal of resolving it,” the company said in a statement on its website. “We are mindful that millions of people use our platform in Turkey everyday, including a vibrant community of developers whose businesses rely on Roblox. We’re always thinking about how to keep our community safe, and we share global policymakers’ commitment to protecting children.
“We respect the laws and regulations in countries where we operate and share local lawmakers’ commitment to children,” Roblox spokesperson Eric Porterfield says in a statement to The Verge. “We look forward to working together to ensure Roblox is back online in Türkiye as soon as possible.”
The Roblox block follows Turkey’s decision to shut down access to Instagram last week. Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority didn’t provide a reason for that block at the time, according to The Associated Press. In April, Meta announced that it would temporarily shut down access to Threads in Turkey due to a regulatory decision. The country also overturned a ban on Wikipedia after more than two years in 2020.
