Russia\u2019s Roblox ban sparks debate on censorship, child safety, and effectiveness in digital age<\/p>\n
Russian ban on Roblox drew strong reaction. PHOTO: REUTERS <\/p>\n
Several dozen people protested on Sunday in the Siberian city of Tomsk against Russia’s ban on US children’s gaming platform Roblox, a rare show of public dissent as popular irritation over the ban gains some momentum.<\/p>\n
In wartime Russia, censorship is extensive: Moscow blocks or restricts social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube while distributing its own narrative through a network of social media and Russian media.<\/p>\n
Russia’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said on December 3 it had blocked Roblox because it was “rife with inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children”.<\/p>\n
In Tomsk, 2,900 km (1,800 miles) east of Moscow, several dozen people braved the snow to hold up hand-drawn placards reading “Hands off Roblox” and “Roblox is the victim of the digital Iron Curtain” in Vladimir Vysotsky Park, according to photographs provided by an organiser of the protest.<\/p>\n
“Bans and blocks are all you are able to do,” read one placard. The photographs showed about 25 people standing in a circle in the snow, holding up placards.<\/p>\n
In Russia, the ban on Roblox has triggered a debate over censorship, child safety in relation to technology and even the effectiveness of censorship in a digitalised world where children can bypass many bans in a few clicks.<\/p>\n
Many Russians simply circumvent bans by using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), though some young Russians have questioned the logic of a ban if it can be so easily bypassed while others have questioned why there are so few Russian alternatives to the apps which the state has banned.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
People take part in a protest against Russia’s ban on US children’s gaming platform Roblox in the Siberian city of Tomsk, Russia, December 14, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS<\/em><\/p>\n Some Russian parents and teachers have said they were concerned Roblox allowed children to access sexual content and communicate with adults.<\/p>\n Roblox, headquartered in San Mateo, California, has been banned by several countries including Iraq and Turkey over concerns about predators exploiting the platform to abuse children.<\/p>\n Wall Street’s major indexes closed lower on Friday, with the Dow losing half a percent, the S&P 500 shedding 1% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunging 1.7%.<\/p>\n The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When the Russian ban was introduced, Roblox said it has “a deep commitment to safety” and provides “rigorous built-in protections to help keep users safe”.<\/p>\n Russian officials say they need censorship to defend against a sophisticated “information war” unleashed by Western powers, and what they cast as decadent Western culture which undermines “traditional” Russian values.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russia\u2019s Roblox ban sparks debate on censorship, child safety, and effectiveness in digital age Russian ban on Roblox drew strong reaction. 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