SINGAPORE: Gaming platform Roblox has come under the spotlight after it featured in recent cases involving self-radicalised youths in Singapore.In May, a 14-year-old boy who was preparing to carry out a mass-casualty stabbing attack was arrested by the Internal Security Department (ISD).In a separate case, another 14-year-old who recreated Islamic State attacks online was issued a restriction order in November. In both cases, Roblox was one of several online spaces where the teenagers had been exposed to violent or extremist-related content.Experts say this reflects a broader pattern, with the pathway to radicalisation often spanning multiple online platforms.
SEARCH FOR BELONGING For some vulnerable teenagers, the process often begins with isolation.“If you're isolated, you realise that you don't want to go out because you don't want to eat alone. You don't want to do things alone,” said Ms Pauline Phoon, founder of social enterprise COMEBACK and a member of Singapore's Media Literacy Council.“When you're in Roblox … that loneliness is mitigated by the sense of being with others. And then you feel that you are accepted,” she said.Experts say vulnerable teens may seek connection across multiple online platforms – from mainstream social media and gaming communities to private messaging channels – where they may become increasingly exposed to extremist content."From my experience engaging with radicalised youth, one factor that these youths have in common is a quest for significance,” said Mr Ahmad Helmi Mohamad Hasbi, senior research analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and a religious counsellor with the Religious Rehabilitation Group.At the same time, these young people are lacking in confidence and self-esteem, he said.
