MIT’s programming language for kids, Scratch, is currently facing a ban in China, a development that might constrain the learning of coding by young Chinese.
Since the signing of the ban, China-based internet users no longer have access to the American website.
According to Greatfire.org, an organization that monitors internet censorship in China, the website was 100% blocked as early as August 20, nearly two weeks before a mention in press.
Industry insights also revealed that about 60 million children around the world have used Scratch’s visual programming language to make games, animations, stories and the likes.
In recent years, China has been on a gold rush to develop young coders with the country trying to turn its 200 million kids into world-class tech talents.
There are concerns that some projects on Scratch contain “a great deal of humiliating, fake, and libellous content about China,” including placing Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in a dropdown list of “countries”.
