Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow Parents Organize Anti-Pokemon Go Classes

The parents of Moscow schoolchildren are to hold special classes on how to remove popular gaming app Pokemon Go from their children's phones, the Moskva news agency reported Tuesday.

The classes will form part of a organized protest movement against the game, backed by members of the Moscow Education Department's Parent Advisory Board on Protecting Children.

Parents are worried about the spread of the app, said Advisory Board member Olga Galuzina. Alongside the classes, the protest movement will lobby to see the game banned in Moscow and Russia, arguing that the app is "harmful and dangerous to children".

The organization also hopes that psychologists will be used to explain to children that they should not catch Pokemon on school property.

Numerous Russian officials have already condemned the Pokemon phenomenon as “dangerous” and “eroding morale.” Several patriotic organizations have called for a ban, while Frants Klintsevich, a senator on Russia's Federation Council, has said that “It feels like the devil arrived through [Pokemon] and is trying to tear our morality apart from the inside.”

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more