Summary:

On 4 February 2026, the Egyptian Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) announced the suspension of the popular internet video game Roblox, barring users from accessing the game in what was described as an effort to protect children. 

The decision followed a Senate hearing regarding the dangers posed by mobile phones and applications, particularly for children and teenagers. 

Egyptian senator Walaa Hermes claims that the games contain inappropriate content, that threatens children’s psychology. 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi had previously agreed to prohibit the use of Roblox in Egypt. 

While promoted as a game designed for children, Roblox has received significant criticism for creating unsafe spaces for children that can encourage violence and other unhealthy behaviors, predominantly due to the interactions between players. 

Outlook: 

While framed as a public safety issue and an effort to protect “societal values,” the move by Egypt to ban Roblox could also be perceived as an effort to slow the flow of uncontrolled information in and out of the country. Egypt joins countries like Russia, China, Algeria, North Korea, and Turkey in instituting the ban, placing Cairo amongst a group of capitals with long histories of efforts to carefully control information and messaging within and outside of their borders. 

The level of backlash over the ban remains to be seen, but such an effort could easily be perceived as repressive by young Egyptians, driving increased risk of social frustration and unrest. 

However, at a time where AI use, for example, is spreading rapidly amongst young people worldwide, Egypt has taken a bold step to protect its population from what is an increasingly unsafe digital world.  

The decision shows the potential for public safety and related governance to serve as a cornerstone of future governance and policy developments that could have far reaching impacts in Egypt and beyond.

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