Protest Against Ban on Roblox by Turkish Children

The streets of Turkey have been filled with protesting Roblox kids as the country prepares to implement a nationwide ban on the platform.

Recently, a nationwide ban on Roblox was implemented in Turkey, preventing thousands of users from accessing the platform. The ban was put in place due to allegations of “child exploitation”and “inappropriate sexual content”being present on the platform.

Previously, the country had prohibited access to Roblox and also banned Instagram. However, after the restriction, Roblox has communicated to its community that it is currently engaged in talks with the Turkish government to revoke the ban and restore the platform’s availability.

Despite the fact that lifting the ban may require a few months, there is a widespread feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment among players, particularly children. This is because a large portion of Roblox’s user base comprises of kids, and in Turkey, some have even resorted to protesting on the streets against the ban.

A video was shared on TikTok by user Onliahmet, in which a group of children can be seen walking through the streets of Turkey, shouting “Roblox Geri Gelsin”(meaning “Roblox Come Back”) with their hands raised.

Children in Turkey protesting the Roblox ban. (Video: onliahmet) pic.twitter.com/yrq5cbgFIL

— RBXNews (@RBXNews_) August 12, 2024

This triggered an online movement in which users from various countries participated in coining the hashtag #FreeRoblox. One player expressed, “That’s true.”Another added, “Roblox should be freed, he didn’t do anything wrong.”

While some individuals were not in favor of the protests, one user expressed surprise, stating, “I didn’t expect to witness protests about Roblox today.”Another user shared the sentiment, exclaiming, “It’s crazy to see people actually protesting about a video game.”

Despite the ban, the issue of in-game currency and creator compensation continues to be a topic of discussion among players, with no update from either the Turkish government or Roblox.

In the meantime, certain international users have suggested that impacted players use a VPN to access their information or rewards from the origin. It remains uncertain if Roblox will be accessible in Turkey via a VPN.