With families spending more time at home, virtual entertainment and online gaming have risen in popularity among younger internet users. While this pastime offsets boredom during a pandemic, it also brings to the fore the hazards of socialising and playing online.
A report commissioned by Mobily eSports to coincide with Safer Internet Day this week, revealed that 74 per cent of parents in the Mena region are worried about their child's safety in the virtual gaming sphere, with 67 per cent of parents calling on the gaming industry to do more to protect their children online. Until that comes into action, however, parents need to be proactive and implement safety strategies of their own.
Organise virtual play dates to shut out strangers
The report surveyed a total of 1,518 parents with children between the ages of 1 and 17, who play video games online in the UK, US and Mena region. The aim was to help parents find out what they know (or don’t know) about their child’s gaming habits. A staggering 84 per cent of those surveyed are concerned that strangers will approach their child via online gaming platforms, and, on average, parents think their child will talk to a stranger online more than three times a week while gaming.
A virtual play date works similar to a real-world one... Parents choose a platform and select a time for children to log on and play with their friends
While it’s commonplace to teach children about strangers in the physical sense, that doesn’t always translate to the virtual world. “Stranger danger” is a real threat online, and parents can help their children avoid contact with people who are unknown to them by establishing virtual play dates.
A virtual play date works similar to a real-world one in terms of how it’s established. Parents choose a platform and select a time for children to log on and play with their friends. This allows young ones to enjoy the social aspects of gaming without giving them unfettered access to online gaming communities. In this way parents can narrow who has direct access to their child in these forums.
Adopt voice-changing technology to make children sound older
To raise awareness about the potential dangers of unsupervised online gaming, Mobily eSports and MullenLowe Mena partnered to create the ProtectSet headset, a pioneering device that uses voice-changing technology to make children sound older. By masking a child’s true age, the software, creators believe, will serve to deter predators who target young gamers online.
“We want to transform a common headset into a powerful device that raises awareness about the hugely important issue of gaming safety,” says Loui Kofiah, director at Mobily. “In addition, we want to highlight the dangers of engaging in personal conversations and disclosing information with strangers in online gaming environments.”
While companies such as Mobily are doing their part to protect children, Kofiah also encourages parents to play an active role in setting boundaries and rules for online gaming. Almost half of parents (45 per cent) predict that their child spends up to 10 hours or more online gaming each week. Those periods shouldn’t be regarded as a timeout for parents. Instead, more effort should be made to ensure safety during those times.
“We believe in the potential of the ProtectSet to make the internet safer for younger gamers,” says Kofiah. “But more importantly, we hope it helps raise awareness of online safety, and prompts parents, authorities and the industry to take proactive and positive steps towards tackling this incredibly important issue.”
Set up virtual backgrounds to protect against prying eyes
Watching other people play online has become an increasingly popular pastime, too. Once upon a time, children watched previously recorded gameplay on YouTube. Today, live game-streaming platforms, such as Twitch, are growing in popularity. Twitch, which allows gamers to broadcast a split-screen, enables viewers to watch the gamer and whatever is being played on his or her monitor. This double dose of action is what makes the site popular, but it’s also cause for concern.
Whether your child uses Twitch, Zoom or any other videoconferencing platform to engage with other gamers online, consider the downside of prying eyes. Everyone isn’t welcome inside your home, and the same should hold true with respect to the internet. Virtual backgrounds are a quick and easy way to conceal your children’s environment, and better protect their privacy.
Zoom has a built-in virtual background feature, but Twitch requires the use of third-party software. XSplit Vcam offers background replacement, removal and blurring that’s possible with any webcam and without the need for expensive or complicated green screen set-ups.
Whether children enjoy gaming online for 10 hours or 10 minutes per week, there are genuine threats to their safety that shouldn’t be taken lightly. While it may seem daunting to figure out which strategy to use to keep your young ones safe online, the worst thing a parent can do is nothing at all.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
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Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Semi-final fixtures
Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
Germany v Mexico, 7pm, tomorrow
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) | US$95,000 | (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) ) | $175,000) | (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 3 (TB) ) | $300,000) | (T) 2,810m
8.50pm: Curlin Handicap Listed (TB)) | $160,000) | (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB)) | $175,000) | (T) 1,400m
10pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (T) 2,000m
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
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Torque: 175Nm
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
South Africa's T20 squad
Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.
