KUALA LUMPUR (Kashmir English): Malaysia has a plan to ban social media for people under the age of 16 from 2026, joining a growing list of nations moving to curb access to digital platforms over child-safety concerns.
According to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, the government was reviewing mechanisms used in Australia and other countries to impose age restrictions, citing the need to shield youths from financial scams, cyberbullying, and child sexual abuse.
“We hope by next year that social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to bar those under the age of 16 from opening user accounts,” he told reporters, according to a video of his remarks posted online by local daily The Star.
The social media effects on children’s health and potential safety risk have emerged as a worldwide concern, with firms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Google and Meta Platforms — the operator of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp — facing lawsuits in the US over their alleged role in worsening a mental-health crisis.
Australia will be deactivating accounts of users under 16 next month, in a sweeping ban for teenagers that is being closely monitored by regulators worldwide.
Italy, France, Spain, Denmark and Greece are also jointly testing a template for an age-verification app.
Indonesia also announced in January that it planned to set a minimum age for social media users, but later opted for a less stringent regulation requiring tech platforms to filter negative content and enforce stronger age-verification measures.
Malaysia sees rise in harmful content
Malaysia has tightened scrutiny of social media companies in recent years in response to what the authorities say is a rise in harmful content, including posts related to race, religion and royalty, and online gambling.
