Dec 3 (Reuters) – Russia has blocked access to the American children's gaming platform Roblox, accusing it of distributing extremist materials and “LGBT propaganda.”
Announcing the move on Wednesday, communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Roblox was “replete with inappropriate content that could negatively impact the “spiritual and moral development of children.”
Roblox Corp. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Roblox, which had an average of 151.5 million daily active users in the third quarter of this year, has been banned in several countries, including Iraq and Turkey, over concerns about predators using the platform to abuse children.
The company states on its website that it is strictly committed to user safety, including by Artificial Intelligence Toolsmoderation teams and collaboration with law enforcement and child safety experts.
Roskomnadzor has extensive experience restricting access to Western media and technology platforms that it believes host content that violates Russian laws.
Last year, language learning app Duolingo removed references to what Russia calls “non-traditional sexual relationships” after a watchdog warned it about publishing LGBT content.
In 2023, Russia declared the so-called “international LGBT movement” extremist and those who support it terrorists, paving the way for serious criminal cases against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their advocates.
In August this year, Russia began restricting some calls on Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp and Telegram, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of refusing to share information with law enforcement on fraud and terrorism cases. Roskomnadzor last week threatened to completely block WhatsApp.
(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Mark Trevelyan. Editing by Jane Merriman)
