Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has proposed connecting the country’s National Digital ID and know-your-customer procedures to Roblox user accounts, in talks with the platform over child safety.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob chaired an online meeting with Edward Palmieri, senior director of public policy at Roblox Corporation. Officials from the Electronic Transactions Development Agency and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency also attended.
Linking accounts to the NDID system would improve the accuracy of age verification and give parents greater confidence in the safeguards on their children’s accounts, the ministry said. It has proposed a joint working group to study a user verification system for Thailand as a first step.
The talks covered the platform’s existing safety tooling, including facial age estimation and chat moderation systems that flag inappropriate messages, along with plans to adopt the International Age Rating Coalition rating system in 2027. Roblox presented its Family Zone, an in-platform community intended to help parents understand gaming systems and child safety and to provide learning resources on AI and coding.
For a later phase, the minister proposed studying pre-scan tools that check content before publication, and analysis of game and user history logs to identify factors that could lead to risky behaviour. Any such tools would have to be assessed for their suitability and their impact on users’ privacy, he said.
The accelerated discussions follow public concern over youth violence after the school shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School. The minister said police checks of the attacker’s online history found no evidence of dark-web access or violent material, contrary to some media reports, and that the ministry’s aim is not to ban or block games. Platforms would instead be asked to alert authorities when accounts show unusually intense behaviour involving firearms, allowing officials to intervene earlier. After information emerged that the attacker had created a gun shop through an online gaming account, the ministry contacted the gaming association to seek cooperation in monitoring potentially high-risk accounts.
The ministry and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission have also held talks with Apple and Meta over child-protection settings and blocking inappropriate content.
Roblox’s age-assurance practices have been under pressure on several fronts, with an investor suit tying an age-verification slowdown to the platform’s growth. Governments across the region are moving on youth access to platforms, including Philippine Senate leadership prioritising youth social media restrictions.
Sources: The Nation, Khaosod English
–
By Cass Kennedy
