Nepal authorities ordered ISPs and mobile operators to block streaming of PUBG.

According to authorities, there are concerns that children become addicted to and aggressive due to PUBG.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) isn’t as talked about as Fortnite and Apex Legends are, but it’s still a popular game. Unfortunately, that popularity came at a cost in Nepal — the country issued a ban on PUBG earlier today, reported Reuters.

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) issued the ban at the request of the country’s federal investigation agency. According to NTA deputy director Sandip Adhikari, PUBG is “addictive to children and teenagers” and that parents were worried that the game distracted children from their studies and other duties.

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The NTA directed all of Nepal’s internet service providers (ISPs), mobile operators, and network service providers to block any streaming of PUBG from today onward.

Adhikari’s comments echo those made today by Metropolitan Crime Division (MCD) chief and senior superintendent of police Pratap Singh, who said the following to the Kathmandu Post in regards to PUBG’s alleged effects on the mind:

Parents and schools had complained that the game was affecting their children’s studies and making them more aggressive. When we consulted with psychiatrists, they also said that the violence in the game can make people aggressive in real life.

Singh added that the MCD received “a number of complaints from parents, schools, and school associations regarding the effect of the game on children.” As a result, the MCD turned to the Kathmandu District Court yesterday in order to ask permission to ban PUBG. The district court granted the request, with the MCD sending a letter to the NTA that same day.

Whether video games cause aggression in youth has been a debated and multi-faceted topic for years. Some argue that carrying out violent acts in video games make people more likely to carry them out in the real world. However, others argue that whatever aggression people have was there to begin with and that video games themselves don’t cause aggressive behavior.

Android Authority reached out to PUBG Corp. and parent company Bluehole for comment on Nepal’s ban. Android Authority didn’t receive a response from either company by press time.

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