THE government is considering the need to establish licensing or identity verification to ensure that children are not exposed to online harm, especially through games and digital applications.
Government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the move was being examined following public concerns over children's safety when using various online gaming platforms and applications that are increasingly easily accessible.
"At this time, online games such as Roblox and others have not yet been subject to any licensing regime.
"However, the government is assessing the best measures, including ensuring identity verification, to prevent children from being exposed to online harm," he told a press conference after a Cabinet meeting today.
According to him, currently licensing only applies to social media platforms and internet messaging systems, while gaming applications are not yet included in that category.
“The government, through the Ministry of Communications and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is examining the entire ecosystem so policies introduced will be comprehensive, not just focused on one game,” he said.
He explained that the concern arose after several incidents involving children, including the case of a nine-year-old who injured his younger brother after allegedly being influenced by the Roblox game.
“The police are conducting an investigation and initial investigations indicate that the Roblox game is related. However, we will leave it to the police to determine the outcome of the investigation,” he explained.
Fahmi said he had met with two Roblox representatives based in South Korea and Australia to obtain clarification on safety measures and usage limits for underage players.
“Roblox informed that they limit some functions to 13-year-old players such as interaction and communication with other users.
"However, there are still other applications that are too easy for children to use,” he said.
He stressed that parents also play an important role in ensuring the safety of children in the digital world.
"Devices are not babysitters, devices are not substitutes for parents. I have instructed MCMC so that in the upcoming Safe Internet campaign, the role of parents must be emphasized more clearly," added Fahmi.
The Minister of Communications, also stated that Roblox is currently implementing an age verification process using artificial intelligence (AI) and the government through MCMC will hold further technical discussions to understand the mechanism.
In addition, the government is also considering the use of a digital identity verification system or e-KYC using documents such as MyKad, passport and MyDigital ID to ensure that the age and identity of users are verified accurately.
He said that this approach is important to prevent misuse of digital applications, including the recently reported case involving the OMI application, where a 12-year-old child became a victim of sexual assault after meeting an adult through the platform.
"I have asked MCMC to call the application companies involved to explain their security mechanisms.
"After this, we will see the need to expand age and identity verification for such applications," he said. - October 31, 2025
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