Turkey blocks Roblox access over abuse concerns, justice minister says

GDANSK (Reuters) -Turkey has blocked access to the popular video game platform Roblox over concerns about content that could lead to child abuse, the country's justice minister said.

"Our country is obliged to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of our children," Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on social media platform X. "Using technology in a negative way is never acceptable."

He said a Turkish court had imposed the access block under an investigation by prosecutors in the southern province of Adana due to concerns about content that could lead to the abuse of children. 

He did not give any further details.

A spokesperson for Roblox, which hosts user-created games, said ensuring the safety of users, particularly the youngest, is at the core of the company's operations. 

"We respect the laws and regulations in countries where we operate and share local lawmakers' commitment to children. We look forward to working together to ensure Roblox is back online in Türkiye as soon as possible," the spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.

The Roblox ban came after Turkey blocked access to social media platform Instagram last week, a move it said was due to Instagram not abiding by certain laws and public sensitivities.

Turkish officials held talks with Instagram this week but the issue has not yet been resolved. 

(Reporting by Canan Sevgili and Miraç Eren Dereli;Editing by Daren Butler, Kirsten Donovan)