Free Fire and PUBG Mobile, two prominent Battle Royale games, may get banned in Bangladesh in the coming days. The two games are nowadays quite trendy among Bangladesh’s youth.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Home Affairs are collaborating to urge that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, BTRC, restrict the two games in the country due to concerns over their addictions among teenagers and young people. Affirming the news, the Education Ministry stated that all ministries involved would have to implement the strategies.
Student Exhaustion
The news comes when following the Covid-19 crisis last year, Bangladesh ramped up its use of remote learning. As a result, millions of students at all levels, including primary, secondary, higher, and even tertiary, are grounded at home.
Students argue that along with the educational pressure, being stuck at home increases the stress levels, which can be released by engaging in mobile games with their friends. In October 2019, the government enforced a temporary ban on PUBG Mobile due to rising worries that the game was harming adolescents.
No Directions yet
On the other hand, Minister of Post and Telecommunications Mustafa Jabbar claims that his department has not gotten any directions regarding the banning. “Neither me nor my ministry is aware of any such developments. Although we have the tools, we cannot block these sites or games on our own. We need to act on recommendations from other concerned government or law enforcement agencies. We did not receive any such recommendations as of yet,” the minister stated.
Banning not a Solution
“In today’s world, banning anything is not a solution. You can always access the banned platforms using VPNs and other methods. In the past, we have provided the ISPs with parental guide tools that allow parents to control their children’s activities on the web. Sadly, we are not seeing considerable use of technology. Banning these games will not change anything dramatically if parents and children are not aware of the dangers they pose,” the minister added.
Many people have praised the impending ban on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, while gamers have voiced their displeasure with the action. PUBG was recently blocked in Nepal and India for similar reasons. Though, gamers in India are hyped for the comeback of the game.
What are your thoughts regarding the issue? Should the government authorities have to be so strict on students trying to lower some stress with friends? Or is the mobile addiction too significant to take action? Do let us know in the comments below.
