In June 2025, the officials at the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the Sultanate of Oman confirmed in statements to the Omani publication ‘Athir’ that the ‘Roblox’ platform is officially banned in the Sultanate. This confirmation came after the newspaper contacted the authority to verify the discussions circulating on social media and gaming forums regarding access to the platform. In August of this year, Qatar also banned the game ‘Roblox’, as confirmed by several users of the game to ‘Al Sharq’ newspaper in Qatar.
In related news, the company behind the ‘Roblox’ platform is facing a lawsuit in the state of Louisiana, USA, accusing it of neglecting the protection of child users. Additionally, in July of the previous year, a lawsuit was filed in the state of Iowa, USA, following allegations that a 13-year-old girl met an adult predator through the platform, was then kidnapped, trafficked across multiple states, and suffered rape.
‘Roblox’ is an interactive online gaming platform established in 2004, which has gained significant popularity among children and teenagers worldwide. Its main concept is to provide users with the opportunity to ‘design their own virtual worlds’ using simplified programming tools, engage in various adventures within these worlds, participate in multiplayer games with other users, and communicate directly with players from different countries. Statistics indicate that the game attracts approximately 82 million users daily, more than half of whom are under 18 years old.
Educational experts, including Saudi technology specialist Turki Al Mahmoud, have warned about several major risks associated with the game. These include interactions with strangers through the open chat system, exposure to inappropriate content in some virtual worlds, unmonitored purchases through the virtual currency ‘Robux’, and the risk of digital addiction affecting academic performance. Al Mahmoud advised parents, in press statements, on the necessity of monitoring their children’s use of the game, activating privacy settings, limiting playtime, and raising awareness of the risks of interacting with strangers. They also recommended reporting any inappropriate content or behavior on the platform to the relevant authorities.
