😔The Dark Side of Online Gaming: A Singaporean Story😔

Online gaming can be a fun and engaging activity for many, but it also has its dark side. Recently, in Singapore, a troubling incident highlighted how online gaming platforms can lead to dangerous real-world consequences.

Two Singaporean teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were issued orders under the Internal Security Act (ISA) due to their involvement in terrorism-related activities. The younger boy, who is now the youngest detainee under the ISA, was a Secondary 3 student at the time of his arrest. He had been self-radicalised after consuming violent militant content and ISIS propaganda online. His radicalisation journey began with listening to extremist podcasts and later escalated as he engaged with like-minded individuals on social media and gaming platforms like Discord and Roblox.

The 16-year-old, who was issued a restriction order, joined multiple Islamic State-themed servers on Roblox, where the game settings replicated ISIS conflict zones. Both teenagers shared their extremist views and support for terrorist groups through these online platforms. Their radicalisation process and subsequent activities underscore the potential dangers that unsupervised online gaming can pose to impressionable youths.