Roblox Banned in Kuwait Over Child Safety Concerns

Kuwait has temporarily blocked the massively popular gaming platform Roblox, cutting off access for its diverse user base of children, teenagers and adults across the country. The nation's Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) announced the decision, stating it was a necessary step taken after receiving complaints about content considered harmful to children. 

The popular kids' game was blocked over safety fears, even after Roblox continued to roll out new tools to protect young players. For regulators, these safety updates were not enough, as the platform's huge scale means harmful content can still slip through and reach users.

CITRA cited the need to protect young gamers from a range of risks, including exploitation, harmful behavior, insecure in-game purchasing systems, and exposure to inappropriate content. 

This action places Kuwait on a growing list of nations, including Turkey, Oman, China, and Qatar, that have also blocked Roblox over similar child safety concerns. It reflects a wider international trend of increased regulatory scrutiny, similar to the stringent new responsibilities placed on platforms by the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act and the European Union's Digital Services Act.

For the gaming industry, the move is a stark reminder that governments worldwide are holding platforms more accountable for protecting young users, placing the responsibility for safety squarely on the shoulders of the tech giants.

The ban has been made at a time when Roblox has been publicly rolling out new and powerful safety features in an effort to police its massive user-created universe serving over 70 million users daily. 

The company recently introduced "Trusted Connections," a privacy tool for users aged 13 and up to chat with known contacts, and open-sourced its powerful AI watchdog, "Sentinel." This AI analyzes billions of chat messages daily to detect harmful patterns, and Roblox claims it has already helped identify over 1,200 potential child exploitation cases that were reported to authorities in 2025.

CITRA has confirmed that the door is open for talks and the platform could be restored if Roblox works with Kuwaiti authorities to remove the harmful content and strengthen its protections. 

The situation has now become a crucial test case that will be watched closely by parents, investors, and other regulators, highlighting the difficult balance between creating an open, creative digital world and the absolute need to protect its youngest and most vulnerable citizens.