Philippines bans GoreBox after 3 killed in school shooting

The Philippine cybercrime agency has temporarily banned online game GoreBox after initial police investigations showed that one of the two students allegedly involved in this week's school shooting was an avid player.



"We are blocking GoreBox temporarily as a precautionary measure pending the investigation," Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Centre under secretary Renato Paraiso said in a statement on June 23.



"We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident."



Three students were killed and 20 others injured in a rare school shooting in the Philippines on June 22 when two students, aged 14 and 15, allegedly opened fire at their school in Tacloban City in the central Visayas region, south-east of the capital Manila.



The two suspects used handguns, authorities said.



Police earlier said that one of the students regularly played GoreBox, according to the statement.



The ban highlights growing scrutiny of children's online activity across Asia-Pacific following concerns about cyberbullying, harmful content and excessive screen use.