Syahredzan Johan (PH-Bangi) said there were better ways to make the internet safer for children, such as age-based regulation.
“Roblox itself is safe for children, but perhaps there are other internet elements that we should look into.
“For example, we should tighten regulations to prevent children under 16 from using their parents’ information to register for online accounts.
“We should not simply ban online games,” he said during communications minister Fahmi Fadzil’s winding-up of the debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2026 for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Syahredzan was responding to the government’s announcement that it was considering a ban on Roblox after a nine-year-old boy slashed his six-year-old brother in the neck when he lost points in the game.
Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad had said a preliminary investigation revealed that the older brother may have attacked his sibling after his Roblox game was interrupted, causing him to lose all his accumulated points.
In response, Fahmi conceded that it may have been the older brother’s failure to regulate his anger instead of elements in the game itself that led to the assault.
He urged all parents to monitor their children’s online behaviour and guide them in managing their emotions to prevent such cases from recurring.
“The government can impose licences on or ban online games, but parents play a role in monitoring their children’s online footprints.
“Devices are not babysitters. Please take some time to see what our children are watching or playing on the internet,” he said.
Separately, Fahmi said the government was not imposing a “police state” in tackling the spread of online misinformation.
He said the government remains committed to upholding freedom of speech, but would act against misinformation based on established laws.
“In dealing with misinformation or fake news, it’s better that we take a more conservative approach of ‘guilty until proven innocent’ on every complaint, but we are not a police state.
“We hope internet users can verify information received before sharing,” he said.