Online gaming child safety regulatory scrutiny

Regulatory scrutiny regarding child safety on online gaming platforms has intensified in the Asia-Pacific region.

In Australia, the eSafety Commission released a report identifying significant safety gaps on platforms such as Steam, Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft. The findings indicated that inadequate safeguards expose children to risks including sexual exploitation, blackmail, and violent extremism. The report specifically noted that Valve failed to use industry-standard technology to remove harmful content and that platforms like Minecraft and Fortnite allow users to self-declare their age, potentially granting unauthorized access to high-risk communication features.

Following similar concerns, the Malaysian government is reviewing measures to extend age restrictions to gaming platforms to enhance user safety. Malaysian officials expressed concern that extremist groups might use these sites to build relationships with young users for recruitment purposes. While negotiations with Roblox have shown a willingness to cooperate, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is currently addressing challenges related to user and age verification processes.