CAIRO: Egypt’s top media regulator blocked access on Wednesday to the US-owned gaming platform Roblox over child safety concerns, joining several other governments that have moved to restrict the popular app.
Roblox has been banned by countries including Qatar, Iraq and Turkiye, and US states such as Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits citing similar risks.
Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation announced the ban soon after several senators called for tighter controls on the platform, arguing that it contained inappropriate, violent and otherwise unsuitable content for children.
Senator Walaa Hermes warned that excessive use of Roblox could expose children to “anxiety, bullying, online harassment, incitement to violence and other financial and behavioral risks.”
The move follows President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s call last month for new legislation aimed at protecting children from the risks of early smartphone use, though he did not specify an age limit.
In a statement shared with AFP, a Roblox spokesperson said the company had reached out to Egyptian authorities “with the offer of dialogue to try and resolve this matter and promptly restore access,” adding that user safety “is a top priority at Roblox.”
The platform, developed by California-based Roblox Corporation, allows users to create and share their own games.
Around 100 million people use Roblox daily, with under-13s accounting for around 40 percent of its 2024 users, according to the company.
The Roblox Corporation says it moderates all content through human review and artificial intelligence tools, including to remove “exploitative content.”
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Egypt blocks popular game-creator Roblox over child safety concerns
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Egypt blocks popular game-creator Roblox over child safety concerns
- Roblox has been banned by countries including Qatar, Iraq and Turkiye, and US states such as Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits citing similar risks
Israeli fire kills priest in south Lebanon’s Qlayaa
BEIRUT: A south Lebanon parish lost its priest on Monday when Father Pierre Al-Rai of Al-Qlayaa died of wounds sustained from Israeli tank fire, according to state media and a medical source.
The border village had not previously been caught up in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that a house in the Christian town was “hit twice in succession by artillery shelling from a hostile Merkava tank” on Monday.
The first strike wounded the homeowner and his wife, according to NNA. After several neighbors, including Rai, and Red Cross paramedics rushed to the scene, the house was hit a second time, wounding Rai and three others.
The priest later died of his wounds, a medical source told AFP.
It was not clear why Israeli forces targeted the house, which is located on the outskirts of the town.
On Friday, Rai had taken part in a gathering organized by locals in the neighboring town of Marjayoun, where they said they were determined to remain in their homes despite evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli army to all residents south of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers from the border.
In a speech, Rai had said: “When we defend our land, we defend it peacefully, and we carry only the weapons of peace, goodness, love and prayer.”
“We are compelled to remain in danger because these are our homes and we will not leave them.”
Residents of Christian towns along or near the border are trying to stay out of the confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel.
The border village had not previously been caught up in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that a house in the Christian town was “hit twice in succession by artillery shelling from a hostile Merkava tank” on Monday.
The first strike wounded the homeowner and his wife, according to NNA. After several neighbors, including Rai, and Red Cross paramedics rushed to the scene, the house was hit a second time, wounding Rai and three others.
The priest later died of his wounds, a medical source told AFP.
It was not clear why Israeli forces targeted the house, which is located on the outskirts of the town.
On Friday, Rai had taken part in a gathering organized by locals in the neighboring town of Marjayoun, where they said they were determined to remain in their homes despite evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli army to all residents south of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers from the border.
In a speech, Rai had said: “When we defend our land, we defend it peacefully, and we carry only the weapons of peace, goodness, love and prayer.”
“We are compelled to remain in danger because these are our homes and we will not leave them.”
Residents of Christian towns along or near the border are trying to stay out of the confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel.
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