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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has taken a significant step to enhance online safety for young users by enforcing new rules that prohibit children under the age of 16 from holding social media accounts. Starting Monday, major platforms with at least 8 million users-including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube-must implement age-verification systems to block underage account creation.
The Communications and Multimedia Commission of Malaysia announced that age verification for existing users will be introduced gradually over the next six months. Users identified as under 16 will be given a 30-day window to download or transfer their data before any restrictions or account suspensions take effect.
Companies that fail to comply with these regulations could face fines of up to 10 million ringgit (approximately $2.5 million). However, parents will not be penalized if their children manage to circumvent the rules.
The government emphasized that these measures aim to protect children from harmful content, cyberbullying, and features that promote excessive use of social media platforms. Malaysia joins a growing list of countries such as Australia, Brazil, and Indonesia that have implemented similar age-based restrictions. Meanwhile, nations including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea are considering comparable policies.
Regulators clarified that the intent is not to bar children from digital technology altogether but to ensure safer online environments. Platforms are also expected to take additional steps to discourage excessive use and address harmful content.
While technology companies have yet to disclose specific compliance plans, concerns remain. Clara Koh, Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, warned earlier this year that a blanket ban on users under 16 could push teenagers toward less regulated parts of the internet. Meta has introduced “teen accounts” with controls on contact, screen time, and content exposure for users under 18.
The new regulations coincide with mounting global pressure to address social media’s impact on youth mental health and safety. Notably, a U.S. jury recently ordered Meta and YouTube to pay damages over allegations that their platforms contributed to harm suffered by a young user.
Locally, some parents support the changes. Saravanan Ganasan and Jayaradha Veerasamy from Kuala Lumpur, whose children are 12 and 15, have already restricted their kids’ social media use, citing concerns about their psychological readiness. They enforce rules such as no unsupervised social media scrolling, limiting device use to common areas, and forbidding locked phones.
“Our fear is exposure,” Saravanan explained. “The wrong kind of exposure will damage the mind.”
Their son, 15-year-old Aadhavan, agreed, acknowledging that unrestricted access would likely lead to addiction. Instead, he spends time reading outdoors and helping with household repairs, while his sister focuses on cooking and crafts.
However, not all are convinced. Shaun Hew, a father from Kuala Lumpur’s Cheras suburb, believes social media can be a positive outlet for his children when monitored properly.
His 11-year-old son uses platforms to learn cooking, and his 14-year-old daughter accesses YouTube for exam preparation. Hew worries that abrupt restrictions might provoke rebellion and encourage unsafe online behavior.
Critics also raise concerns about privacy and government overreach, noting that mandatory ID verification could facilitate increased surveillance. Benjamin Loh, a social science lecturer at Monash University Malaysia, pointed out that such age-based restrictions have shown limited effectiveness in other countries, particularly without penalties for parents who may create accounts on behalf of their children.
“Unless regulators address these loopholes, the law may do little to prevent underage social media use,” Loh warned.
As Malaysia embarks on this new regulatory path, the balance between protecting young users and preserving their digital freedoms remains a complex and evolving challenge.