Commentary: Banning Roblox may not be the solution to teen radicalisation

Some governments have barred Roblox, but this does not equate to increased child safety, asserts online safety researcher Chew Han Ei. In Singapore, a 14-year-old was detained in May for scheming a school assault, with his radicalisation journey beginning at 12 on Roblox. He was exposed to violent gaming and graphic material, leading him to create a 21-page plan for an attack.

However, Roblox played a minor part in his radicalisation, and a comprehensive platform ban would not have prevented his actions. Therefore, merely banning Roblox should not be Singapore's sole response. Stronger platform safeguards are needed. The ISD reported other instances of youths radicalising on similar platforms, such as simulating terrorist acts and sharing ISIS-themed material.

While Roblox introduced age checks and separate accounts for kids, the boy's radicalisation pathway did not start with an adult. Instead, he began with user-created violent simulations, searched and found more material through recommendations, and later engaged with extremist communities. The platform's community standards prohibit such content, but it has still been accessible on Roblox.

The government's blocking of Roblox in other countries did not result in safer children, indicating that a ban alone is insufficient. Singapore's online safety measures apply to designated social media services but not to Roblox, which hosts user-generated content, social interaction, and algorithmic discovery. Given the platform's functions, safety obligations should apply to Roblox, as they do to other services with similar features.

Singapore's existing online safety codes may need amendment or expansion to address platforms like Roblox, rather than creating a new law.