Roblox Ban in Turkiye: How Online Games Became an Arena for Child Exploitation

Turkiye recently banned Roblox over reports of inappropriate sexual content that is seen as exploiting children and promoting homosexuality, Turkiye Today reported.

Authorities said Roblox’s inability to effectively monitor such harmful activities prompted them to take drastic measures to protect children.

The decision to ban the gaming platform, issued on August 8, comes as Turkish authorities continue to issue laws regarding social media platforms and digital content in the country.

Other reports have revealed that Roblox hides a complex network of cybercrimes aimed at sexually exploiting children behind its innocent facade.

The platform has received numerous complaints for encouraging the elimination of gender identity and promoting homosexuality.

This gained wide attention after Bloomberg produced a documentary titled ‘Roblox’s Pedophilia Problem’, which has heightened the debate about the risks associated with the platform.

The increasing popularity of digital games among children and teens has raised concerns about the potential risks they may be exposed to in these virtual environments. Experts warn that these platforms are turning into hunting grounds for children and teenagers.

Roblox

A Turkish court has banned access to Roblox, one of the popular online video game platforms, citing the risks to children.

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said, “Due to content that could lead to child abuse, access to the Roblox video game platform and its links in the app markets has been blocked by the Adana 6th Criminal Court of Peace.”

“Turkiye will continue to take measures to ensure the protection of our children in accordance with our constitution, and that technology cannot be allowed to be used in a negative way,” he added.

The ban on Roblox has sparked angry reactions, especially with the revelation of the disgusting side of Roblox through posts shared on social media.

For example, children are sometimes invited to sex parties in secret virtual rooms within the game, where homosexual propaganda is spread.

In contrast, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People's Party wrote: “It is incomprehensible that after Instagram, there is a ban on access to the online gaming platform Roblox, which has more than 15 million users and where users can develop games.”

“Those who make these decisions are people who know nothing about the new world, economy, and technology,” he added.

However, a spokesperson for Roblox, which offers user-generated games, said that ensuring the safety of users, especially young people, is at the core of the company's operations.

“We respect the laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and share the commitment of local lawmakers to children. We look forward to working together to ensure that Roblox is back online in Turkiye as soon as possible,” he added.

According to sources, the company that owns the video game platform is set to appeal the ban to the Turkish judiciary.

The appeal process against the ruling issued by a Turkish court to ban Roblox games will take several months, as the process is complex and requires more time.

The blocking of access to the Roblox platform comes after similar decisions imposed by the Turkish government last month.

On July 16, Ankara banned the popular global social storytelling platform Wattpad in an effort to protect children and public order, making it the first country to impose such a restriction.

On August 2, Turkiye’s Information and Communications Technologies Authority (ICT) blocked access to Instagram for failing to remove illegal content related to issues such as child sexual abuse, gambling,and drugs.

Abuse and Exploitation

Roblox is a video game platform that allows its users to create and publish their own games. The platform also serves as an online meeting place for its users, who are often teenagers.

Roblox has managed to become a popular phenomenon in record time. Its sales have grown in 4 years to exceed $3.5 billion, according to company data, with the number of daily active players exceeding 78 million players, up from $500 million and 17 million daily players in 2019.

However, thanks to its huge popularity among teenagers, Roblox is a fertile ground for the spread of cybercrimes, especially those targeting children.

The story of the little girl who sold her photos for a fake digital currency called Robux is just one glaring example of what happens inside this game.

While she was looking for simple fun, she fell prey to a professional hunter who exploited her need to blackmail her.

These criminals infiltrated the world of Roblox, exploiting the game’s security loopholes and the lack of awareness among children and parents.

They build fake friendships with children, then lure them into a dark world of abuse and exploitation.

For these victims, the game that was once a source of joy and fun has become an inescapable virtual prison.

According to reports, Shedletsky, an influential character on Roblox, has managed to attract thousands of children and teenagers with his cheerful image and challenge to societal taboos.

Behind this fake persona was Arnold Castillo, a young man in his twenties who used his popularity to build a virtual empire and consolidate his influence over his victims.

Using in-game communication tools and external chat services, Castillo was able to communicate directly with children, and exploited the trust of his victims to manipulate and assault them.

In one case, he was able to deceive a 13-year-old girl, convincing her that he loved her, and then kidnapping and sexually assaulting her.

This incident revealed the dark side of the use of gaming platforms by some individuals with bad intentions, raising many questions about the responsibility that lies with gaming companies to protect users, especially children, from such risks.

Since 2018, police in the US have arrested at least two dozen people accused of abducting or abusing victims they’d met or groomed using Roblox, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Businessweek. 

In 2021, a report by People Make Games accused Roblox of exploiting children as young game developers.

Dangerous Phenomenon

The dangers of Roblox are not limited to the game itself, but this problem extends to many digital gaming platforms and social media, making it necessary to take urgent action at the global level to confront this dangerous phenomenon.

Children who are victims of these crimes suffer from deep psychological effects, such as depression and anxiety, and may take years to recover from them.

A survey conducted on a group of children by the founder of the Social Media Safety Association, Kirra Pendergast, who in turn went to a school in a small village in Australia, revealed that a large percentage of them receive friend requests from strangers on the Roblox platform, and some of them are subjected to attempts to exploit them in exchange for game digital currency.

In a disturbing investigative experiment, an online predator was able to lure a journalist disguised as a four-year-old girl, inside the Roblox platform.

Despite the journalist repeatedly confirming her young age, the attacker insisted on communicating with her via the Snapchat platform with the aim of establishing an inappropriate relationship, which reveals the prevalence of the phenomenon of sexual exploitation of children through online games.

Dr. Omer Kamal Buhari, a Lecturer at Istanbul Medeniyet University, explained that malicious actors may exploit children's easy access to digital gaming platforms to turn them into hunting grounds.

He pointed out that some digital companies with millions of users pose significant risks such as sexual assault, abuse, and privacy violations.

He pointed out that absolute digital privacy is not possible in the current environment, as data begins to move to virtual space as soon as an electronic device is purchased and connected to the Internet.

Dr. Buhari explained that multiplayer games like Roblox may seem innocent at first glance, but they may contain secret rooms that can turn into unsafe environments for children.

He noted that children exposed to inappropriate content may suffer lasting psychological trauma that requires long-term treatment. 

He added that these games may normalize sexual violence and create attitudes that support abuse.

Dr. Buhari stressed that the role of states includes ensuring the safety of their citizens, including blocking harmful content and developing protection software.

He noted that parents play an important role in protecting their children by monitoring their use of digital devices and reducing their dependence on the internet.