Government meets Roblox over child safety concerns, mulls stricter ID checks and AI age verification for young users
PETALING JAYA: The government has held discussions with Roblox representatives to seek clarification on safety controls for young users, following recent incidents involving minors that raised concerns about children accessing online games without adequate supervision, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said today.
Fahmi said he met two Roblox representatives – one based in South Korea and another in Australia – earlier this week, where the government conveyed concerns about child user protection, in-game interactions, and the ease with which underaged players can access the platform.
“I have personally banned my child from playing Roblox, but that is a personal decision. In the meeting, I informed them that the government takes these incidents seriously, including the recent case involving a nine-year-old who injured his six-year-old sibling.
“The matter is still under police investigation,” he said during a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
According to Roblox representatives, users aged below 13 are supposed to have restricted features, including limited chat capabilities. However, Fahmi said this does not remove the need for active parental oversight.
“Devices are not babysitters. Devices are not substitutes for parents. Parents also have a role in monitoring the applications and interactions that their children are exposed to.”
He said Roblox is currently developing an AI-based age verification system, and MCMC will be holding technical-level discussions with the platform to assess how the verification mechanism can be enforced in Malaysia.
Johor police previously said early findings suggested the older sibling allegedly lashed out after losing points in Roblox when his mobile phone was damaged.
The child had also reportedly experienced hallucinations and claimed to have been “instructed” to harm family members, though police have not concluded the motive.
Fahmi said the government is not considering enforcement on Roblox alone, but is instead reviewing the entire online gaming ecosystem, particularly platforms that are widely used by children.
“We do not want to act against only one game. We need to look at the ecosystem as a whole,” he said.
Presently, online games are not regulated under any licensing regime, unlike social media and messaging apps.
Fahmi said the government is evaluating whether identity verification requirements – such as MyKad, passport, or MyDigital ID authentication – should be extended to online gaming and digital interaction platforms.
Fahmi also addressed a separate incident where a 12-year-old child was sexually assaulted after communicating with an adult through the OMI social networking application.
“I have asked MCMC to call the company to explain its age and identity verification systems,” he said.
He said the government is examining whether eKYC identity verification should apply to applications in the social chat and discovery category, where minors may encounter adult users.
