<span>STORY: Russia’s ban on gaming platform Roblox sparked a rare public protest on Sunday (December 14).</span><span>Dozens of people gathered in the Siberian city of Tomsk as public frustration over the issue grew.</span><span>Images provided by protest organizers showed signs reading ‘Hands off Roblox’ and ‘Roblox is a victim of the digital Iron Curtain’.</span><span>It showed about 25 people standing in a circle in the snow.</span><span>“It’s a nice game. It’s an educational game. So children can get education there and when they grow up, they will create their own game world there.”</span><span>Russian regulators said earlier this month they banned Roblox for having too much inappropriate content.</span><span>They added that Roblox could harm children’s spiritual and moral development.</span><span>The Roblox ban sparked a censorship debate in the country.</span><span>It has also sparked debates about child safety in relation to technology and even the effectiveness of censorship in a digitalised world.</span><span>Some Russian parents and teachers have argued that they are concerned that Roblox allows children to access sexual content and communicate with adults.</span><span>The US children’s gaming platform did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</span><span>Although Roblox said it had a “deep commitment to security” when the Russia ban came and said it had “built-in protections to help keep users safe.”</span>
