Russia blocked several major Western online services in recent weeks, including WhatsApp, Snapchat, FaceTime and the gaming platform Roblox, in what authorities describe as an effort to protect national security and “public morality.”

The ban on Roblox has drawn a sharp backlash from the platform’s roughly 18 million monthly Russian users — mostly children and teenagers — who have launched social-media campaigns and video petitions urging officials to restore access. Users say the block cuts them off from the communities they built on the platform and leaves them unable to access in-game items they paid for.

Roblox, a California-based platform that lets players create and share their own games, stopped loading for Russian users in early December. Media regulator Roskomnadzor later confirmed it had restricted access, accusing Roblox of hosting “extremist materials” and “LGBT propaganda” and saying its moderation system allowed content that could “negatively affect the spiritual and moral development of children.”

Some Russian officials have publicly criticized the ban. Yekaterina Mizulina, head of the Kremlin-aligned Safe Internet League, said that since the restrictions were imposed “every second child” aged 8–16 had written to her saying they wanted to leave Russia. She posted screenshots of what she said were messages from young gamers expressing anger over the loss of Roblox.

Most Russian users can no longer access Roblox’s website or mobile app. Some attempt to circumvent restrictions using VPNs, though authorities have increasingly targeted such tools.

A Roblox spokesperson said the company “we respect the local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and believe Roblox provides a positive space for learning, creation and meaningful connection for everyone. We have a deep commitment to safety and we have a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent harmful content on our platform.”

The company has cooperated with Russian regulators in the past, removing several games in 2025 that featured LGBT characters or symbols after complaints from Roskomnadzor. 

Russia has long been one of Roblox’s largest markets, with more than 2 million daily active users in 2022. Unlike Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, Roblox kept operating in the country after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The platform has previously faced scrutiny abroad over child safety and moderation problems. Turkey briefly blocked the service in 2024 over concerns about content that could “lead to the exploitation of children.” Roblox has also grappled with cases of predators abusing the platform and allegations of young developers being exploited.

The crackdown on Roblox is part of a broader effort by Moscow to tighten control over foreign technology platforms. Earlier this month Russia restricted access to WhatsApp, accusing the Meta-owned messenger of repeatedly violating local laws and alleging it had been used to help organize terrorist acts and fraud schemes. Officials warned the service could be fully blocked if it does not comply with legal demands and urged citizens to switch to domestic alternatives.

In the past week, Roskomnadzor also blocked Apple’s FaceTime, saying it had been used to coordinate attacks and other crimes, and Snapchat, which has about 2 million monthly users in Russia, mostly aged 18–25. The regulator issued similar allegations against both services.

The government is promoting a new state-backed messenger, Max, as a national alternative modelled on China’s WeChat. But on Monday the app suffered a major outage, with users unable to log in or open their accounts. The cause of the disruption has not been disclosed, and the service has not issued an official explanation.