Roblox ban protests in Russia

Roblox ban protests in Russia
Part of censorship and child safety on Roblox
DateDecember 3, 2025 (2025-12-03) — June 10, 2026 (2026-06-10)
Location
Russian Federation
GoalsLift the ban of Roblox in Russia and return the app Roblox
Methods
ResultProtester victory
Parties
Lead figures


Tomsk:
Anton Isakov[3]
Online:
Decentralized

Number
Tomsk:
~50 protesters
Online:
~63,000 protesters
Unknown

Following the Roskomnadzor's statement on 3 December 2025, which stated that Roblox would face a national ban in the Russian Federation over content regulations, a series of rare, coordinated public demonstration and digital campaigns consisting mostly of children and teenagers occurred in Russia.[4] The protests were reported by some news outlets as a factor in the lifting on 10 June 2026.

Background

In December 2025, the Russian federal communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, implemented a nationwide block on the U.S.-based gaming platform Roblox. The authorities cited concerns that the platform hosted extremist content, facilitated the harassment of minors, terrorism, and violated laws regarding "LGBT propaganda".[5]

Estimates indicated approximately 18 million monthly active users in Russia were affected.[6] Roblox was tying third with TikTok in usage time among Russian children in early 2025.[7][8]

Protests and public response

Following the ban, dissent materialized in the form of complaints sent directly to pro‑government "internet safety" politician Ekaterina Mizulina, with her reporting over 63,000 letters. Letters also reached Vladimir Putin's office. The messages sent to the Kremlin did not stop at criticizing the ban itself, but half of them stated that they wanted to leave Russia in the future because of the "suffocating" environment created by the government.[5] Online protests also targeted Mizulina's social media accounts, with around 5,000 defying comments in some of her posts following the ban, some complaining of the financial damage of banning the platform due to the personal investment in in-platform purchases by some users.[4]

On 14 December 2025, a physical protest was organised in the city of Tomsk despite refusal of local authorities to allow a protest in the city centre, forcing the demonstration to occur in its outskirts.[9][10] The protests participants were Roblox users and their parents, numbering up to 50 people.[5][11] Reuters reported on the protest calling it "rare."[12] During the protest two National Bolshevik activists, Arseny Leoshko and Alexander Yershov, were detained by the Centre for Combating Extremism and later released.[13] The protest was organized by Anton Isakov,[10][14] a local who organized other protests against other social media bans.[15] Additionally, a counter-protest was present at the same time, calling for support to local Russian producers and questioning the mental health effect of Roblox on children.[16]

The hashtag #BringBackRoblox trended on Russian social media, accompanied by sarcastic remarks by players, some stating to overthrow the government.[17]

Aftermath

The amount of backlash initially prompted the Russian government to "rush" to make a localized alternative app to Roblox with its own moderation and filter, with Vladislav Grib publicly calling for it.[18][19]

However, on 10 June 2026 the Minkomsvyaz officially lifted the ban on Roblox following talks with the company.[20]

The government stated that Roblox had successfully implemented a range of additional child-protection measures.[20] Following the lift of the ban Mizulina questioned in a public statement whether "it'[was]s time to look for other ways to combat pedophiles and provocateurs who target children online", and Dmitry Peskov made it an example of a service that complied with local laws and thus was unbanned.[7]

The platform's messaging functionality was restricted from Russian users after the lifting of the ban, although Mizulina commented that Russian users would soon be able to chat with one another. Roblox vowed to enhance the platform's content and moderation systems.[21][22]

Following the decision to overturn the ban, Roblox's stocks had a surge of 5%.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "В Томске состоялся митинг против блокировки игры Roblox". BFM.RU (in Russian). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Two National Bolsheviks were detained at a protest against the blockade of Roblox in Tomsk, a city in Siberia". OVD-Info. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "В Томске состоялся митинг против блокировки игры Roblox". BFM.RU (in Russian). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Дети атаковали соцсети Мизулиной из-за блокировки игры Roblox". Постньюс (in Russian). 3 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Russia Blocks Roblox: Youth Protests, Digital Rights Impact". Mimeta (in Norwegian). 16 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Popa, Darius (10 June 2026). "Russia unbans Roblox after 63,000 children complained". TNW | Gaming. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Disgruntled parents and children force Russia to remove Roblox ban". South China Morning Post. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Russia unblocks Roblox after widespread child anger". The Straits Times. 12 June 2026. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "«Roblox — нежная штучка» Жители Томска вышли на пикет против блокировки Roblox — и попросили разрешить их детям «бороться с сектантами»". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Россияне вышли на протест, но причина – вовсе не война: что разозлило людей". 24 Канал (in Russian). 14 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Faulconbridge, Guy (15 December 2026). "Russian ban on Roblox gaming platform sparks rare protest". Reuters. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Khutsieva, Nika (18 December 2026). "Russian ban on Roblox stirs debate about limits of censorship". Reuters. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Two National Bolsheviks were detained at a protest against the blockade of Roblox in Tomsk, a city in Siberia". OVD-Info. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Жители Томска вышли на пикет против блокировки Roblox". dw.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Police summoned Tomsk activist after he tried to organize protest against internet blockade". Ukraine news – #Mezha. 28 March 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Жители Томска вышли на пикет против блокировки Roblox". dw.com (in Russian). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Российские дети массово протестуют против блокировки Roblox: социальные сети заполнили хештегом #ВернитеРоблокс • Портал РуМафия". Портал РуМафия. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  18. ↑ S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Russia rushes to make its own Roblox after youth backlash". tvpworld.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Russia Scrambles to Build Its Own "Roblox" as Kremlin Says Children Begged for the Game Back". UNITED24 Media. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 Times, The Moscow (10 June 2026). "Russia Backs Down on Roblox Ban After Children's Complaints". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Russian kids can play Roblox again. They just can't talk to anyone in the game". Meduza. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Roblox si prepara a riaprire le attività in Russia". euronews (in Italian). 10 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Edge, Trader (9 June 2026). "Roblox (RBLX) Stock Surges 5% Following Russia's Decision to Overturn Platform Restrictions". Parameter. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
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