By Ekaterina Janashia | 2025-12-24

In the weeks following Russia's December 3 ban on the gaming platform Roblox, the fallout moved from online outrage to the streets, producing one of the clearest public displays of dissent in Russia's tightly controlled information space.

In mid-December, dozens of young Russians and their parents gathered in the Siberian city of Tomsk, braving subzero temperatures to protest the ban, a rare public demonstration in wartime Russia against a censorship decision. Protesters assembled in Vladimir Vysotsky Park holding hand-drawn placards reading "Hands off Roblox" and "Roblox is the victim of the digital Iron Curtain."

Though small, the protest carried symbolic weight. Participants said a platform built around creativity, social interaction and user-generated worlds should not become collateral damage in the Kremlin's drive for digital sovereignty. Some protesters argued that bans are easily bypassed through VPNs, while domestic alternatives for creative gaming communities remain limited or nonexistent.

Behind the scenes, the standoff may be softening. Roblox has entered talks with Russian regulators that could, in theory, lead to a partial or full restoration of access.

Reports say the company has proposed temporarily limiting some communication features and revising moderation practices to better align with Russian legal requirements. Officials have announced no timeline and stressed that any progress depends on demonstrated compliance.

Roskomnadzor, Russia's state media and internet regulator, echoed that position publicly, saying it would consider engagement only if Roblox proves it can meet strict local content rules and child-safety standards -- the same criteria cited in the decision to block the platform.

Online grief erupts

The emotional backlash surfaced almost immediately after access was cut. Russian social media filled with grief, anger and disbelief from children and teenagers who had spent years on the platform.

"One hour has passed without Roblox. I'm shaking, and I'm having serious mental breakdowns," one user wrote in the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti. Another wrote, "Oh, Roblox, my favorite Roblox. I played you for eight years straight. Eight continuous years."

Videos circulating online showed children crying as parents tried to explain why the game had disappeared. In one widely shared clip, a 10-year-old girl asks, "Does this mean we'll never play Roblox again?" Her older sister, near tears, adds, "No way. Why did I put money into that?"

Some teenagers responded with dark humor, threatening to "Roskomnadzor-selves" if the game remained blocked, a reference to internet slang that emerged after the agency restricted suicide-related content. Others aimed their anger directly at state institutions. "Hello, Roskomnadzor, listen to the children and players!" one comment read.

The Telegram channel of Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the influential League of a Safe Internet and a vocal supporter of content restrictions, drew thousands of hostile comments.

"Is this really a free country?" one user asked. "All the decent apps are blocked."

Parents also weighed in, urging regulators not to further isolate children from global digital culture. The scale of the backlash showed how deeply embedded the platform had become in daily life for many Russian families.

Why Roblox fell

The ban followed nearly a year of escalating pressure. Beginning in early 2025, Roskomnadzor publicly criticized Roblox for hosting scams and content it labeled "LGBT propaganda."

By February, law enforcement agencies reported crimes allegedly linked to the platform, and by March the issue reached senior levels of the Interior Ministry.

One ministry department labeled Roblox the online platform with the highest number of recorded crimes in 2024, effectively casting the multibillion-dollar company as a digital crime hub in official rhetoric.

Roskomnadzor later cited a list of alleged risks to minors, claiming children were exposed to sexual harassment, pressured into sharing intimate images and targeted by pedophiles who initiated contact through in-game chats.

The agency did not publish independent evidence demonstrating the scale of those risks across the entire platform, but the accusations became the basis for blocking access.

International scrutiny accelerated the process.

In early November, an investigation by The Guardian detailing exploitation and abuse risks on the platform worldwide drew swift attention from conservative lawmakers in the State Duma. Deputies Nina Ostanina and Yana Lantratova cited the findings, while activists intensified lobbying for a total ban.

Partial concessions failed to satisfy regulators. Although Roblox removed some "LGBT-related" content in July 2025 at Roskomnadzor's request, officials said the changes did not address what they described as systemic moderation failures.

Ivan Preobrazhensky, a political analyst, remarked ironically in a Deutsche Welle column that the ban reflects "the desire to break children of the habit of dreaming and imagining a better future." He noted that Roblox allows users to create "not just your own games, but practically your own universes," calling it a useful tool for development and an introduction to programming.

On November 29, Roskomnadzor issued its final verdict, declaring Roblox's moderation system incapable of protecting minors and accusing the company of repeated noncompliance since 2019. The ban took effect three days later.

Roblox, which reported more than 111 million average daily active users and nearly $1.1 billion in quarterly revenue in 2025, has confirmed contact with regulators but has not issued a detailed public response.

For now, the platform remains inaccessible in Russia, joining countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar that have restricted or banned it. Whether negotiations lead to a tightly conditioned return or cement Roblox's exclusion, the episode has turned a children's game into an unlikely test of censorship, digital isolation and public tolerance.