Egypt Rolls Out New Parent Controlled SIM Cards

Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority will roll out a new service within a month enabling parents to activate child-specific mobile lines with enhanced content controls, a senior official told the House of Representatives’ Communications and Information Technology Committee.

The child-designated SIM cards will allow parents to activate stricter blocks on pornographic websites, violent material and tools used to bypass internet restrictions. The lines will operate through activation codes and include regulatory controls related to electronic games, according to Hossam Abdel-Mawla during the committee session chaired by MP Ahmed Badawi. Abdel-Mawla said the initiative forms part of broader efforts underway since 2018 to regulate digital content in line with global standards.

A draft law currently under preparation is structured around three pillars: establishing a clear age-rating system for digital content and electronic games, with defined procedures and penalties for non-compliance; regulating platform operations in consultation with international companies to ensure enforceability; and subjecting certain electronic games, particularly those involving open interactions or potentially harmful content, to specific standards.

Proposals under review by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation include additional approvals for games that allow open user communication, the introduction of “safe mode” options, strengthened parental controls and clear age classifications.

Officials said the aim is to introduce safeguards that address online risks while protecting children, without infringing on freedom of use. In early February, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation blocked the online gaming platform Roblox in Egypt, citing concerns over potential risks to children and adolescents.