[ EVENT ]
Responsible Technology Conference: Progressive Childhood in the Digital Age
[ DATE ]
15 June 2026
[ TIME ]
09:30-16:30
[ VENUE ]
Hilton Kuala Lumpur
[ OVERVIEW ]
The inaugural Responsible Technology Conference centres on the intersection between emerging technologies and their implications for children, situated within the broader question of how societies should govern technological change in the public interest.
The pace at which technologies are being developed, deployed and embedded in society – particularly among younger users – necessitates a deliberate assessment of both their opportunities and risks. Children are often among technology’s earliest adopters, engaging with new platforms, tools, and features ahead of regulatory, institutional, and societal understanding of their consequences.
This challenge spans both established and emerging technologies. Social media platforms, for instance, are undergoing significant shifts in how they are accessed and experienced by younger users, prompting regulatory responses across multiple jurisdictions ranging from softer guidelines to outright prohibition on access. At the same time, artificial intelligence is introducing new dimensions of interaction, raising psychosocial questions as children increasingly engage with AI-powered chatbots for companionship in ways that may influence social development, emotional attachment, and identity formation.
Beyond these concerns lie the longstanding promise that technology can bring to education – frequently framed as a pathway towards more equitable access to quality learning, particularly through online resources and digital classrooms. Yet many important questions remain regarding whether this potential have translated into measurable outcomes. How has the digitalisation of the classroom and learning experience actually unfolded in practice? Have there been any unintended consequences? What lessons can be drawn from international experiences to inform future policy choices? And to call out the elephant in the classroom, what role should AI play especially when considering the risk of cognitive offloading and stunting?
The Responsible Technology Conference examines technology through the lens of children because they are a particularly vulnerable demographic. Decisions made today regarding how they interact with technology will shape future norms, expectations, and governance frameworks. Understanding this intersection is therefore central to advancing responsible technology development that safeguards wellbeing, supports human developments, and remains aligned with the public interest.
[ PROGRAMME ]
0830-0930
Registration
0930-0945
Welcoming remarks
YBhg Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah
Executive Chairman of ISIS Malaysia
0945-1015
Keynote address
Coming soon
1015-1030
Coffee break
1030-1130
Session 1: Making online spaces safer for children
Children are spending more time online which increases their direct and indirect exposure towards risks and harms. In response, decisive regulatory action has been taken through the introduction of the Online Safety Act 2025 and its Child Protection Code. This moves the needle away from reactive measures towards proactive approaches, creating sets of duties and obligations for platforms, including the need to protect child users. Six months since its coming into force, has ONSA resulted in an increase in safety standards and protection for children online? How does the proposed delay in children accessing social media platforms until they turn 16 fit into this larger puzzle? And what about other activities online – such as gaming – which does not fall within ONSA’s ambit?
1130-1230
Session 2: Socialising in the age of AI companions
Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to back-end technical processes and research labs. Its applied use, in the form of AI-powered chatbots are designed to simulate companionship for its millions of users. As conversational, and in some cases emotional, partners, prolonged usage of these chatbots can result in dependency and displacement of traditional social connections. For children, what does this synthetic connection mean for their ability to form relationships in the real world? What happens when the messiness of real interactions is optimised for sycophantic affirmation? How should regulators and parents approach the topic of children using AI-powered chatbots for companionship, and are there any lessons we can draw from previous experiences with Big Tech?
1230-1400
Lunch and prayer
1400-1500
Session 3: Technology in the classroom
Technology was promised to be the great equaliser for education, simultaneously increasing the quality of learning materials, allowing for personalisation, and improving accessibility. To realise this potential, the government invested heavily into “edutech” – with resources allocated to building up and deploying both software and hardware. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this trend which shows no sign of bucking with the mainstreaming of AI in education. Yet, has all this resulted in greater learning outcomes for children in the classroom? How does the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2026-2035 balance between technological adoption and risks such as cognitive offloading and stunting? And how can children truly benefit from edutech while mitigating risks?
1500-1515
Session 4: Designing technology for the public good
As digital technologies increasingly shape civic life, questions of how they serve—or undermine—the public interest have become more urgent. Policymakers face growing pressure to respond to online harms, yet regulatory approaches alone risk being blunt, reactive, or overly restrictive. This session is timely in exploring how upstream interventions in technology design can better align innovation with societal outcomes. This session will examine how product design, platform architecture, and incentive structures can be reoriented towards social value. What would it mean to embed public interest principles directly into the design and development of technologies? How can companies be incentivised to prioritise safety, accountability, and user well-being without stifling innovation? Where should the balance lie between design-based solutions and formal regulation?
1615-1630
Closing remarks
YBhg Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah
Executive Chairman of ISIS Malaysia