Russia closes children’s platform after “LGBT propaganda”

One of the world’s most popular digital playgrounds for children has been shut down across Russia. Access to Roblox has been blocked by order of state authorities, who accuse the platform of exposing minors to harmful and extremist content.

In recent years, Roblox has become a central part of many children’s online lives. The platform allows users to create their own games and worlds and share them with others.

The platform is among the most downloaded games in Russia. According to figures from the company itself, Roblox has over 150 million daily active users worldwide.

The sudden Russian blocking therefore affects a very large and predominantly young player base, who will have to find other digital communities in the future.

Total blocking and stricter legislation

The Russian communications authority Roskomnadzor states that Roblox has been blocked because the platform is “filled with inappropriate content that can have a negative impact on the spiritual and moral development of children”.

The authority refers to both “extremist material” and content categorized as “LGBT propaganda”.

For several years, Russia has tightened the rules for what the authorities categorize as “non-traditional sexual relations”.

In 2023, the so-called “international LGBT movement” was labeled an extremist organization, and support for the movement can now trigger serious criminal cases against both individuals and organizations.

Roskomnadzor has previously targeted other Western services. Language learning app Duolingo had to remove mentions of LGBTQ people after warnings of violations of the law, and this year the authorities have also restricted certain conversations on WhatsApp and threatened to block the service altogether.

According to Reuters, the blocking of Roblox is part of the same line where foreign platforms are continuously tested against the stricter Russian requirements for content and data sharing with police and intelligence services.

Allegations of grooming and pressure against Roblox globally

The authorities do not mention individual games or universes, but Russian media report that the authorities have seen examples of servers with simulations of terrorist attacks, gambling and sharing of sexually offensive material.

The platform has already been at the center of an international debate about children’s safety, according to the BBC, citing cases of sexual harassment and sharing of intimate images.

Other countries have also reacted. Roblox has already been banned in Turkey and Iraq, among others, due to concerns about grooming and exploitation of minors.

In Singapore in 2023, authorities pointed to a case where a self-radicalized teenager had visited ISIS-inspired Roblox servers.

Roblox management denies that the platform is dangerous. A spokesperson says the company respects local laws in the countries where it operates and describes Roblox as a positive place for learning, creativity and meaningful connections.

The same spokesperson emphasizes that Roblox has “a strong set of proactive and preventative security measures”.

However, pressure on the company is also increasing outside Russia. In the US, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the company of misleading parents and ignoring child safety requirements.

In response, Roblox has announced that children can no longer chat with adult strangers and that face-based age verification has become a requirement for several features.