In a surprising turn of events for the gaming industry, Turkey has decided to ban the renowned children’s gaming platform Roblox. The embargo was sanctioned just days after they issued a nationwide blockade on Instagram reportedly over censorship issues. But, why has Roblox been blocked in Turkey?
Here are all the available details regarding the controversy involving the Middle Eastern country and the popular online gaming platform.
Turkey bans gaming platform Roblox, claims report
As per recent reports, Turkey decided to employ a ban on Roblox for housing content with the potential of inducing child abuse.
The digital barricade was imposed without any prior warning, causing users to flock online for answers. Upon launching the application, Turkish gamers were bombarded with a statutory message stating that the platform was not accessible. The decision to ban Roblox was taken sometime after Turkey officials imposed a similar siege on Instagram for censorship issues.
The nation’s judiciary wing has since issued a statement to explain the reasoning behind their controversial step. A top official from the Turkish bureaucracy conveyed that the Roblox application contained content that could lead to child abuse. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc even referred to the country’s internet broadcasting laws while explaining the decision. As reported by Bloomberg, Tunc’s statement read, “According to our constitution, the state is obliged to take the necessary measures to protect our children. Use of technology in a negative way cannot be accepted.”
Ever since the ban was imposed on Roblox by Turkey, the gaming company has reportedly lost considerable business. According to a social media data specialist page named OffPathGames, the platform has experienced a 2.5% drop in concurrent users following the blockade. At the time of writing, it is unclear when the said embargo will be lifted, if at all. Notably, the Instagram application has remained inaccessible to Turkish users since its unfortunate ban.
