The Bandar Kuching MP said the existing legal framework was drawn up for a different era, which had never anticipated how gaming platforms could become a space for violent content, gambling, and grooming.
“The law must therefore apply content-neutral and platform-neutral rules that focus on the level of harm, not the size of the platform,” said Yii in a statement.
“By doing this, platforms such as Roblox, Discord, and other interactive games will fall within the scope of regulation and be subject to proper safeguards, ensuring that none escape responsibility due to technical loopholes.”
Yii, who is also the political secretary to the human resources minister, suggested that a gaming curfew be imposed, inspired by South Korea’s “shutdown law” to address excessive gaming habits among minors.
He said Malaysia could adopt this model in a balanced way by combining parental controls, age-based limits, and time-based restrictions without completely taking away access to safe and educational games.
Yesterday, Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad was reported to have said that preliminary investigations found that the victim’s elder brother, aged nine, had played the children’s online game Roblox quite extensively, accumulating about a million points in the game.
The victim is said to have damaged the brother’s phone recently, causing him to lose all the points he had collected.
Adopt MyDigital ID for child user registration
Additionally, Yii suggested that the government adopt MyDigital ID or national registration department-verified tokens for child-user registration.
He said the system would ensure that every gaming account created by minors would be adequately verified while maintaining the privacy and security of personal data.
Yii also said the verification process should not expose children’s MyKid numbers or biometric details to private corporations. Instead, authentication should take place through government-issued digital credentials.
Furthermore, gaming companies must be required to release transparency reports explaining how they store, process, and use Malaysian children’s data, he said.
These reports, said Yii, would enhance accountability and allow both the government and the public to track whether the platforms were complying with privacy standards.
“All such systems should integrate with MyDigital ID tokens, ensuring that sensitive data stays within the jurisdiction and protection of national privacy laws, instead of being stored on offshore servers beyond Malaysia’s control.”