Russia may lift Roblox ban if platform aligns with domestic law Watchdog says

Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has said that the management of the US-based gaming platform Roblox has indicated its readiness to engage with authorities in discussions that could lead to the lifting of restrictions in Russia.

According to the watchdog, the platform has acknowledged shortcomings in its handling of content moderation within games as well as in ensuring the safety of user chats.

Roskomnadzor said Roblox’s leadership has now expressed a willingness to gradually align its operations in Russia with the requirements of Russian legislation. The regulator stressed that if this position reflects a genuine intention—rather than a purely declarative statement—to improve the protection of children online, it is prepared to cooperate with the platform on the same basis as with any other service that complies with Russian law.

Access to Roblox was blocked in Russia on December 3 over concerns related to child safety and extremism, including the dissemination of LGBT-related content. At the time, Roskomnadzor said the platform had become saturated with material deemed inappropriate and potentially harmful to the spiritual and moral development of children, according to local media reports.

The multiplayer platform is among the most popular in the world but has long faced criticism for insufficient safeguards for younger users. It has also ranked among the most downloaded mobile games in Russia in recent years. Roblox’s core model—allowing users to create and share their own games—has been cited as a factor that complicates effective regulation.

Roskomnadzor has additionally pointed to reports of sexual harassment involving minors and the circulation of intimate images on the platform. Similar concerns have been raised by regulators elsewhere, and Roblox is already banned in several countries, including Türkiye, over child safety issues.

In 2023, the platform also came under scrutiny in Singapore after authorities there reported that a self-radicalised teenager had joined servers linked to ISIS through Roblox. In the United States, Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the company last month, accusing it of blatantly disregarding safety laws and misleading parents about risks to children.

More recently, Roblox announced changes to its policies, saying it would no longer allow children to chat with adult strangers. The move followed years of criticism over the platform’s networking features and their impact on child safety.

By Tamilla Hasanova