Roblox gets banned indefinitely in Turkey over “child exploitation”

simple@lemm.ee to Games@lemmy.world – 494 points –
Roblox gets banned indefinitely in Turkey over “child exploitation” - Dexerto
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Kids make maps. Stuff in the maps is sold for Roblox bucks. Roblox bucks cost money to buy. The kid who makes the map gets the Roblox bucks, and can sell them. The problem is you only get 30% back when you sell a Roblox buck.

So kids spend time making big maps and servers, buying ads, getting shoutouts on YouTube/whatever, and Roblox takes a 70% cut from all of it

Sounds like a normal business that gives kids a chance to make money.

Its exploiting child labor and the impulsive brain chemistry of adolescence.

Fair enough, but couldn't the same be said about YouTube? They also take the biggest cut of the ad money for creators.

Yes. Using kids to drive engagement on YouTube is exploitative. Parents who do that are exploiting their children

But what about…? Doesn’t excuse the first thing!

Why did anyone read my comment as an excuse? I was pointing two fingers instead of one on Roblox.

Probably the “but”. I agree that both are exploitive and they should all be called out on it.

"labor" 😂

What would you call it when a child does work that you profit from?

Doesn't matter what you call it. It's profitable and you know that's what's meant.

Is labor. There is a whole market of Roblox related things, there are job sites, freelance sites that employ kids to work on design/programming/marketing of these game modes. To pay them the game currency that maybe later can be traded for real money.

Is not just kids tinkering with the game.

A normal business, yes. Normal businesses are highly and cruelly exploitative, which is why we decided 80 years ago (in the US) that children, at the very least, should be protected from them.