{"id":99214,"date":"2025-12-16T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disinfo.md\/tomsk-russians-protest-against-the-banning-of-the-gaming-platform-roblox\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T07:00:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:00:07","slug":"tomsk-russians-protest-against-the-banning-of-the-gaming-platform-roblox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disinfo.md\/en\/tomsk-russians-protest-against-the-banning-of-the-gaming-platform-roblox\/","title":{"rendered":"Tomsk: Russians protest against the banning of the gaming platform Roblox"},"content":{"rendered":"

On December 14, dozens of people protested in the Siberian city of Tomsk against Russia’s decision to ban the American children’s gaming platform Roblox, a rare demonstration of public discontent amid growing irritation among the population over this ban, Reuters reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In wartime Russia, censorship is widespread: Moscow blocks or restricts social media platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube, while simultaneously distributing its own version through the Russian social media and mass media network.<\/p>\n

The Russian communications oversight authority, Roskomnadzor, announced on December 3 that it had blocked Roblox because it was “full of inappropriate content that could have a negative impact on the spiritual and moral development of children<\/em>“, news.ro quotes.<\/p>\n

In Tomsk, 2,900 km east of Moscow, several dozen people braved the snow to raise handmade signs with the messages: “Don’t touch Roblox<\/em>” and “Roblox is the victim of the digital iron curtain<\/em>” in Vladimir Vysotsky Park, according to photos provided by a protest organizer.<\/p>\n

“Bans and blockages are all you can do<\/em>“, read one of the signs. The photos showed about 25 people standing in a circle in the snow, holding signs.<\/p>\n

In Russia, the banning of Roblox has sparked a debate about censorship, children’s safety in relation to technology, and even the effectiveness of censorship in a digitized world where children can bypass many bans with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n

Many Russians simply bypass the bans using VPNs (virtual private networks), although some young Russians have questioned the logic of a ban if it can be so easily circumvented, while others have wondered why there are so few Russian alternatives to the state-banned apps.<\/p>\n

Some Russian parents and teachers have expressed concern that Roblox allows children to access sexual content and communicate with adults.<\/p>\n

Roblox, based in San Mateo, California, has been banned by several countries, including Iraq and Turkey, due to concerns about the platform being exploited by predators to abuse children.<\/p>\n

Russian officials say they need censorship to defend against a sophisticated “information war<\/em>” launched by Western powers and against what they consider to be decadent Western culture, which undermines “traditional<\/em>” Russian values.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On December 14, dozens of people protested in the Siberian city of Tomsk against Russia’s decision to ban the American children’s gaming platform Roblox, a rare demonstration of public discontent amid growing irritation among the population over this ban, Reuters reports. 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