Malaysia is planning to ban social media for children under the age of 16 from next year, a top official revealed on Sunday.
The Southeast Asian nation is among a growing list of countries that want to limit access to digital platforms due to concerns about impacts on children, plus child safety.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the government was reviewing mechanisms used to impose age restrictions for social media use in Australia and other nations, citing a need to protect youths from online harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams, and child sexual abuse.
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“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.
Mental health crisis
The effects of social media on children’s health and safety have become a growing global concern, with companies including TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta Platforms – the operator of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp – facing lawsuits in the United States for their role in fueling a mental health crisis.
In Australia, social media platforms are poised to deactivate accounts registered to users under 16 next month, under a sweeping ban for teenagers that is being closely watched by regulators around the world.
Numerous countries in Europe – France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece – are also jointly testing a template for an age verification app.
Malaysia’s neighbour Indonesia said in January it planned to set a minimum age for social media users, but later issued a less stringent regulation requiring tech platforms to filter negative content and impose stronger age verification measures.
Malaysia has put social media companies under greater scrutiny in recent years in response to what it claims to be a rise in harmful content, including online gambling and posts related to race, religion and royalty.
Platforms and messaging services with more than 8 million users in Malaysia are now required to obtain a licence under a new regulation that came into effect in January.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
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