SINGAPORE - Years of concern over Mary's (not her real name) phone use came to a head in June 2025, when her parents discovered she had an online boyfriend.Now 16, she has had two such relationships since she was 15, meeting both boys through Roblox, an online game platform hugely popular among the young.Mary, a Secondary 4 student, told The Straits Times that she had been cautious, screening these individuals - who are not in Singapore - through video calls to ensure they were around her age before getting into a relationship. She had never met them in person.But her parents, alarmed and upset, made her cut off contact.In the most recent incident, her father smashed her phone in a fit of anger when he realised she had continued messaging one of the boys.When she falls out with her parents, she seeks solace online, resulting in a cycle of tension and unhappiness at home.Her mother has lashed out in frustration, sometimes comparing Mary with her twin sister.«I'm not as pretty, slim or smart (as her). I feel hurt when my parents compare us,» she said. Read more