Thailand Links Digital ID to Roblox Child Safety Plan
Thailand's Digital Economy Ministry is discussing child safety measures with Roblox, including potentially linking the national digital ID system to verify users' ages and identities on the gaming platform.
Bangkok — Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is in talks with Roblox over stronger safety and child protection measures on the gaming platform, including the possible use of Thailand's National Digital ID system to verify users' identities and ages.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob chaired an online meeting with Edward Palmieri, Senior Director of Public Policy at Roblox Corporation, the operator of the Roblox gaming platform. Also attending were Chomparee Chomphurat, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry; Dr. Chaiyachana Mitrphun, director of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA); representatives from the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa); and Asia Group Advisors.
Chaichanok said the meeting focused on safety and child protection measures on Roblox, including age restrictions and age-based filtering, facial age estimation technology, chat moderation systems to detect inappropriate messages, and Roblox's plan to implement measures based on the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) rating system in 2027.
He said protecting children and young people on digital platforms was an urgent issue requiring cooperation from all parties, not just government agencies but also platform operators. The ministry is prepared to promote digital technology and gaming platforms as part of a safer digital ecosystem, with the aim of improving user verification, protecting children and young people, and encouraging responsible use of artificial intelligence.
"These efforts are intended to build long-term confidence among users, families and Thai society," Chaichanok said.
The minister also proposed studying the feasibility of verifying users who wish to access Roblox by linking Thailand's National Digital ID/KYC system with Roblox user accounts. Such a system could significantly improve the accuracy of users' identity and age verification while giving parents greater confidence in their children's online safety.
Roblox also presented its Family Zone, an in-platform community designed to help parents understand gaming systems and child safety, as well as provide learning resources on AI and coding. Chaichanok said he believed developing such campaigns could allow parents and children to learn together about using technology safely in the digital world.
"For the initial phase, a joint working group will be established to study a user verification system for Thailand so that concrete results can be achieved," Chaichanok said. "For the next phase, I have proposed studying the use of pre-scan tools to check content before publication, analysing game and user history logs, and using AI to analyse factors that could lead to risky behaviour.
"This would allow us to take proactive preventive measures rather than addressing problems after an incident has occurred." He said all tools would have to be carefully assessed for their suitability and potential impact on users' privacy.
