Technology & Science
Russia Blocks Roblox Nationwide for “Extremism” and LGBT Content
On 3 Dec 2025, telecom regulator Roskomnadzor ordered all Russian ISPs to cut access to the 151-million-user platform Roblox, invoking the 2023 anti-LGBT extremism law after declaring the game’s moderation “inadequate.”
Focusing Facts
- Roblox’s URL and IP ranges were added to Russia’s federal blacklist (reestr.zapret-info.gov.ru) at 14:27 Moscow time on 3 Dec 2025.
- Roskomnadzor’s July 10 2025 notice forced Roblox to delete three LGBT-themed assets before the full block.
- The Russian Supreme Court’s 30 Nov 2023 ruling branding the “international LGBT movement” extremist criminalised any LGBT depiction, enabling such platform bans.
Context
Digital firewalls rarely spring up overnight: this mirrors China’s 2009 shuttering of Facebook and Twitter after Ürümqi riots, or the Soviet 1983 ban on foreign rock that drove youth to clandestine tapes. Moscow’s latest move extends a decade-long trend of ‘sovereign Runet’ laws that trade open networks for political and cultural insulation. While the immediate effect is a lost pastime for Russian tweens, on a 100-year horizon each excised platform nudges Russia toward a parallel, state-curated internet—potentially as isolated as radio jamming in the Cold War. Whether citizens adopt VPN work-arounds or local clones will reveal if the Kremlin can truly bottle a networked generation or simply re-route their traffic underground, repeating history’s pattern of information seeking despite walls.
Perspectives
Russian state-owned media
Interfax — Frames the ban as a necessary protective move because Roblox allegedly spreads extremist, terrorist and LGBT propaganda that endangers children’s ‘spiritual and moral development’. Echoes official Kremlin talking points and treats Roskomnadzor’s allegations as factual without questioning the evidence or political motives, reflecting the outlet’s incentive to align with government narratives.
Western mainstream news wires and broadcasters
Reuters/Yahoo News, BBC — Portray the block as another step in Russia’s broader crackdown on Western tech and LGBT expression, citing Roskomnadzor’s justification but emphasising censorship and human-rights concerns. Highlights Russia’s repressive record while largely accepting Western tech firms’ self-descriptions of robust safety measures, downplaying longstanding criticisms that the platform also struggles with child-safety problems worldwide.
Gaming-industry press
PC Gamer, GameReactor — Treat the ban mainly as an extension of Russia’s anti-LGBT and authoritarian policies, linking it to prior game censorship and even the invasion of Ukraine, and suggesting the ‘extremism’ label is politically motivated. Focuses on civil-rights implications for gamers but invests little effort in verifying the scale of child-predator or extremist content on Roblox, reflecting the sector’s inclination to defend game platforms against government regulation.