Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi affirmed on Wednesday that protecting children online and promoting the safe and responsible use of digital services are key priorities for the Egyptian state, in line with the directives of the political leadership to strengthen online child protection mechanisms.
The minister remarks came during a ceremony marking the signing of licence addenda for the “Itma’en” and “Itma’en Ala El Akhar” services, widely known as the “Child SIM Card”, coinciding with their official launch to provide a safer digital environment for children using mobile internet services.
During the ceremony, Hindi explained that the two services seek to strike a balance between enabling children to benefit from the educational, social and developmental opportunities offered by the internet while providing Egyptian families with effective tools to protect children from digital risks and inappropriate content, in accordance with international best practices in online child protection.
The minister added that his ministry continues to work with relevant authorities to establish a comprehensive governance framework for online child protection alongside initiatives aimed at promoting digital awareness among parents and children and encouraging safe and responsible internet use.
The “Itma’en” service provides a protected browsing environment by blocking harmful and age-inappropriate content, activating safe browsing and safe search functions on major search engines and preventing access to websites associated with malware, viruses and cyber threats.
The “Itma’en Ala El Akhar” service offers all the features of the standard package while adding restrictions on access to social media platforms and applications, providing families with an enhanced level of protection for children.
Both services are designed to operate without requiring technical intervention or complex settings from parents, with content classifications based on international child protection standards issued by the International Telecommunication Union.
Subscriptions to the services are available through branches of the four mobile network operators in Egypt or via their respective mobile applications, facilitating access for Egyptian families wishing to benefit from the new services.
