Egypt bans Roblox in a bid to protect children

Your little ones will have to say goodbye to Roblox, the online gaming platform mainly targeting children, after the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) decided to block it, citing safety concerns. The decision will be implemented in coordination with the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), SCMR deputy Essam El Amir said before the Senate yesterday.

“This game is extremely dangerous” for children, El Hekaya’s Amr Adib said last night, expressing his support for the decision (watch, runtime: 5:49). “It’s a cursed game that makes kids hyperactive and irritable… I hate Roblox and I hate children’s addiction to it.”

“We have not yet received any official decision regarding the ban of the game,” NTRA spokesperson Mohamed Ibrahim said during a phone call with El Sora’s Lamees El Hadidi (watch, runtime 2:08). Ibrahim added that the NTRA will roll out the ban immediately upon receipt of the decision from the council.

The move comes after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s call last month for new legislation restricting the use of social media platforms and some electronic games by children under a “certain age.”

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