Let’s be honest - our kids live online more than anywhere else, and unfortunately, can’t track every swipe or stop every risk - BUT we can teach them to think, question and stay safe.
We speak to the experts to understand and comprehend better on what's the next best move to when it comes to your teens!
Together, they break down what teens face online today - and how parents can guide smarter, healthier digital habits without hovering over their shoulder.
If you’re raising digital natives, this one’s for you!
#ThinkTwice #SinarDaily #DigitalSafety #SmartParenting #OnlineSafety #MalaysiaParents
We speak to the experts to understand and comprehend better on what's the next best move to when it comes to your teens!
Together, they break down what teens face online today - and how parents can guide smarter, healthier digital habits without hovering over their shoulder.
If you’re raising digital natives, this one’s for you!
#ThinkTwice #SinarDaily #DigitalSafety #SmartParenting #OnlineSafety #MalaysiaParents
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello everyone and welcome to the first episode of Think Twice podcast brought to you by TikTok
00:07in collaboration with Sinar Daily. I am Tasim Luqman, the editor of Sinar Daily and today
00:14we're going to be talking about what is on everybody's, actually every parent's minds,
00:20okay? How to raise digital natives responsibly and this podcast is aimed to help make sure
00:28Malaysians are safer and smarter online. So the topic will define the future of our nation's youth
00:36and our children, because it's important to note that our children in today's world, right,
00:42is no longer growing into the digital world but they are already living in it, like we're all
00:48already living in a digital world. So it's important to understand that they learn, create, connect
00:54and express themselves online in ways previous generations never imagined. So it's a whole new
01:01world and they are living a whole new type of life that we may have never experienced, even though
01:07we're adults and we're going through it as well. So this conversation matters because we guide
01:13young people with wisdom and confidence where digital spaces become places of discovery instead
01:21of danger, empowerment instead of fear, and also a community instead of isolation. And we are
01:28talking to parents, creators and community leaders together today and how we can become, we can guide,
01:36okay? It's how we guide as parents, we guide the new generation to become responsible digital
01:42citizens with confidence. So joining me today are industry leaders and who are all who are every day on the
01:50front lines and also bringing valuable first-hand experience to this conversation. First, we have
01:55Puan Mardiha Mahmud, the CEO of Content Forum. And next to her is Mr. Firdaus Fazil, the
02:04TikTok, the Malaysian head of public policy at TikTok, and also a TikTok creator, digital coach, and also a
02:11parent herself, one Patin Sufina. So thank you so much for joining us today. I hope you guys are good.
02:16We're ready to start a conversation but before we start, can you guys please introduce yourself? Can we start with you Puan Mardiha?
02:22Sure. So I've been in the content regulation sort of industry for as long as I've been a mother. I've got three kids, the eldest is 19 and there's a 14 year old and a 9 year old.
02:32So that's the intersection between my work and also my interests and my agenda and my objectives as a parent really do overlap. And I really enjoy having conversations like this because I learn all the time from other people as well. So I'm looking forward to it.
02:46Alright, great. And Mr. Firdaus?
02:48Thank you Tasnim. I lead the public policy team for TikTok in Malaysia. My team and I work closely with the regulators, policy makers, and also the community leaders.
02:57I want to make sure that TikTok continues to grow as a safe, trusted, and positive platform in Malaysia. The conversation today is very timely.
03:04With a new policy discussion underway, for example, the proposed U16 rules, it's critical for us to sustain that kind of a dialogue with regards to the U safety and digital well-being.
03:15So we're excited to be here to have a robust conversation with the rest of the panel.
03:19Okay, alright. And Patin, who are you?
03:21It's Sufina, sorry.
03:22Sufina.
03:23Okay, my name is one Patin Sufina.
03:25Yeah.
03:26That's a long name. But on TikTok, I'm known as Teacher Sufina. Yeah. So today, I'm actually in this conversation with three heads. I'm a creator, I'm a coach, and I'm also a mother.
03:37So from what I understand, I live in the digital world every day. So I've seen how it impacts lives, the communities, the children, how the platform gives space for the children to be creative, the communities to make a living.
03:54And so I understand the worry. As parents, we worry how safe is our children online. And are they being exposed to harmful things?
04:09So I think what matters to me is that I want to help parents to understand about the platform. I want to help parents to feel safe that their children is online.
04:23Okay.
04:24Yeah. I have a lot of things to say, but it's okay.
04:26Okay. So let's go to the first question first.
04:28Everything is, everything is.
04:29Okay. So like we often hear about, we often, we always hear about the risks of online, right? We always hear about the dangers and the fear.
04:36But we rarely actually talk about the positive impact that gives online users and people in general, right? Who are online. Like it gives them a way to connect or maybe to even create content that relates to everybody else and understand what people are going through and stuff like that.
04:53So, you know, billions of netizens are online and they find new meanings towards being alive and being online. So it's actually a modern, a real modern community, I would say, because you'd be able to reach people from across the globe, right?
05:11So maybe all three of you, like each of you could explain or like could share the positive impact you have witnessed in your own personal and professional lives on how these digital spaces truly create these positive connections, especially among the youth.
05:30Okay. I'll go first.
05:32I think one of the main things that social media and the internet basically allows is for that to be a democracy to the kind of content that is out there. It allows because of the accessibility, we are now exposed or we are connected with more communities around the world.
05:48And for youths as well, you know, you've got different kinds of youths who are a lot more social online because of certain things, maybe they've been growing up shy or they're introverts.
05:59And social media or the internet or the communities online is where they can slowly start to build their confidence. I've seen that as well.
06:06And also for persons with disabilities, for communities who don't usually have a voice, these platforms allow them to have that voice. And I think that's really something that we should always keep a focus on as well.
06:17Yeah, because sometimes like online, they're a whole new personality, right?
06:21True. Some of it might not be the best personalities, but what we like to see is also the fact that there are excellent people out there with excellent skills, excellent information that they want to share or creativity they want to share.
06:32And they're able to do this at a much larger scale with social media.
06:36Exactly. And Ms. Filras, what about you?
06:38Well, in the conversation about digital safety, we often focus on the risk and that is so, right?
06:43But having said that, it's equally important for us to spotlight some of the transformative power of digital spaces.
06:49In my work in TikTok, I've seen firsthand how this platform can actually unlock creativity, connection, opportunity, especially among the youth, right?
06:58Yeah.
06:59So the thing about TikTok is we are basically the destination of the short form of mobile video.
07:03Yeah.
07:04And has become a space for free expression, discovery and learning of over 1 billion people globally, right?
07:11And on top of that, 460 million people across Southeast Asia.
07:15People came to TikTok for many reasons.
07:18And what we have discovered is they like the idea of being able to express themselves authentically.
07:23And then on top of that, be entertained and that's myself as well.
07:27I use TikTok for me to be entertained.
07:29Build a business and on top of that, discover new skills and hobbies.
07:33So the thing about TikTok is there are so many communities inside the TikTok.
07:37So if I can share some of the examples and that includes, for example, firstly, hashtag BookTok.
07:43And the hashtag BookTok is basically a community that has accumulated over 370 billion views globally as of 2025.
07:52We also have a community that has been built upon teachers on TikTok that inspired over 7.7 million posts.
08:00And on top of that, learn on TikTok hashtag that has over 48.8 million posts today.
08:06Creating a strong sense of community among those learning something new on TikTok everyday.
08:11We also have a STEM-approved videos.
08:14When you look into the apps, you have a heading on STEM specifically.
08:18And the STEM-approved videos has already amassed almost 7.2 billion views globally, right?
08:23And this is just in terms of learning.
08:26When it comes to a transformative power of a digital spaces, a lot of people goes beyond learning as well.
08:33And maybe I just want to take an opportunity to share some of the survey that was conducted in 2022 by Pew Research Center.
08:42And this is basically a North America think tank that has run a survey in 2022 across 1,316 teenagers between 13 and 17 years old.
08:52And what we have discovered is there are a couple of things here, which is very exciting.
08:56Firstly is 67% says social media helped them to feel supported during tough times.
09:0371% of the teenagers feel it gives them a space to express them, express creatively.
09:10And thirdly, 80% feel more connected to the friends through social platforms.
09:16So what I'm trying to say here is when it comes to a digital spaces, social media,
09:21the idea of using social media as a platform for them to discover a new connection is paramount.
09:28Thirdly is of course unlocking the real economic opportunity.
09:32And this is very important, highly relevant for Malaysia.
09:35We have seen over 3.8 million content creators and affiliators riding on TikTok shop
09:42to basically harness the benefits of the social media platform, the digital spaces,
09:46to actually make a living out of it.
09:48And they are actually thriving and they are basically supporting their families as well through TikTok shop.
09:53These stories remind us that digital spaces, when guided responsibly, can be more than just a platform.
10:01They can be lifeline, they can be a classroom, and they can also be a launchpad for something bigger.
10:06And this is something that we in TikTok try to protect and harness.
10:11And we're going to help the family members and also the parents, the guardians,
10:15to basically protect these kind of benefits so that it can be harnessed confidently and creatively.
10:20Okay, that sounds incredible.
10:22Because people always forget the part about making money and also education on the platform itself, right?
10:28Yes.
10:29Because people always think about the negative impact of things.
10:31So, Safina, what about you? You're a content creator yourself, right?
10:34What has been the positive impact of the platform?
10:38Okay, I think I just want to touch on this thing.
10:42We often hear the risk on the social media, right?
10:45Yes.
10:46Or the risk on the online platform.
10:47You know why? Because to me, I feel the news especially, they tend to highlight on worst case scenario
10:55or influencers that misuse the platform, you know?
10:59They rarely tell the stories about how the entrepreneurs driving on TikTok shop,
11:06how the youth can actually come up with their own brands.
11:10You know, we hardly hear that.
11:12So, I would say on, how would I say the impact?
11:17Now, I've been in this content creator world for a long time.
11:20Because, and to me, I feel being a content creator at this age, I'm in my 50s.
11:26So, I feel fortunate because I already know how to differentiate the ones that are real, the ones that are not real.
11:35And then, I would say that my worth is not how many likes I get or how many views I get.
11:42But for children, for youth to be on the social media platform, if they are not guided,
11:49then whatever that they are supposed to get from the social media, meaning they can be creative,
11:54that they can improve their communication skills, or they can be more digital awareness.
12:02But then, if it's not guided, if there's no boundaries, it can turn differently.
12:08It can create that emotional pressure, the depression, and then comparable, just keep comparing.
12:16So, these are not healthy things on TikTok, you know?
12:20So, yeah. That's why I myself, the thing is, right now you can see I'm actually looking for my words.
12:27I have a lot that I have here. Oh, sorry. I have a lot.
12:30But then, when we are here, when you talk, especially about children, I'm a mother myself.
12:34Okay. So, I'm a mother, of course my children are all grown up, so I don't have problems with that.
12:39But I have nieces and nephews. Yes. Yes.
12:42I have my nieces and nephews, they keep coming to me and share about this on TikTok, share about that on TikTok.
12:48So, it is really important for us to have these conversations.
12:53And to me, I think, this is what I feel, with whatever that's happening right now, with whatever that Mr. Fredao said just now.
13:01Control, yeah? If you want to go on strict control, strict control without making them understand, will also, will create a rebellion.
13:15You know? Yeah. And if you have a system, for that matter, systems, you know?
13:20But if the system is done without them have that emotional guidance, then it will become something else also.
13:29Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you so much for those refreshing perspectives.
13:34It's a variation, but I think we are all on the same page here.
13:38However, like, going back to Mr. Fredao, you spoke about opportunities.
13:43But with opportunities also comes responsibilities, right?
13:46And the internet also, there's no denying, like, there's a whole bunch of scams and misinformation and bullying happening online.
13:53But how do you, as a platform provider, which is TikTok, respond to these challenges?
14:00And at the same time, still enabling young people to express themselves, create content, and connect online?
14:07I think that's a very good question, Dustin.
14:09And I think the reason why we are here is basically try to strike the balance, to empower the families, to empower the youth,
14:16so that they can be a very objective digital native.
14:22Coming back to your question just now, and commentary just now, most of the challenges that are being faced by youth today are actually not new, right?
14:30In fact, issues such as bullying, peer pressure, mental health struggle, and harmful habits existed long before the internet.
14:38Parents and guardians are the primary source of guidance of the youth, and therefore, because they are the closest to the family members,
14:45and they understand the environment of the kids as well, right?
14:48And therefore, how we position is to empower the parents by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to raise digital native responsibility,
14:57so that the youth will be better prepared to navigate the online world safely.
15:02To translate the vision into the action, in conjunction with World Children's Day last week,
15:09we have partnered with Content Forum, we have partnered with MCMC as well, to launch a hashtag ThinkTwice Parental Advisory.
15:18Now, we aim to help the parents to play an active role in safeguarding their teens' digital experience by utilizing TikTok's robust safety measures.
15:27So, these joint advisory call for a community-driven and evidence-based approach to our online safety.
15:36So, the thing about this is, we also emphasize the shared responsibility among the parents, the platforms, and also the policy makers,
15:44while upholding the children's rights to the freedom of thoughts, access to information, as well as the self-appropriate expression and privacy.
15:54Now, we just don't stop here, right, in terms of just giving the advisory.
16:00The second part of this is, of course, the actual investment that we are making across trust and safety domain.
16:06Beyond empowering the parents, we are committed to maintain a safe, inclusive, and authentic environment for everyone to connect to each other.
16:14Safety is our top priority, and therefore, globally, we have invested over $2 billion across trust and safety domain.
16:22And we are continuing to do so in 2025.
16:26We invested into four key pillars when it comes to safety.
16:30Firstly, it's on the policies, anchored by our robust and comprehensive community guidelines.
16:36Secondly, it's the investment into the product itself, where we integrated a safety by design and safety features philosophy.
16:45Thirdly, it's in terms of practices, when it comes to the enforcement, as well as the moderation.
16:50And behind the community guidelines, we have thousands of safety, trust, and safety professionals who are actually working together with advanced automated system to actually moderate the content.
17:01And last but not least is, of course, establishing and harnessing the partnership that we already have together with our community partners, as well as executing and amplifying our digital literacy collaborations.
17:14Because the TikTok community guidelines are the backbone of our safety efforts, right?
17:20And because of that, with all these four safeguards, TikTok has removed more than 3.3 million videos violative content in Malaysia alone in Q2 2025.
17:31And that shows how we are committed in terms of cleaning up the harmful content from the platforms.
17:36And how we protect our community, whether they are the parents, whether they are youth, or whether they are the community in general.
17:43Okay.
17:44Alright.
17:45And Pamela, you are part of the Parental Advisory Group.
17:52Yeah.
17:53Parental Advisory Group.
17:54And one of the major things that was emphasised here is about parents guiding children, right?
17:59And also guiding and respecting children's rights to the digital world.
18:05So how was it, from your vantage point, right?
18:09From your perspective, when creating the advisory and also taking into consideration the parents and the children.
18:16Right.
18:17How can parents actually play an active role in self-regulating within the families to create a healthier and safer, more supportive online environment for the teens?
18:27I think parents play the key role actually in this entire issue because of the fact that when we talk about access to TikTok and everything else online, children can't get access to that without their parents.
18:39Exactly.
18:40They don't have any salaries to pay for the device or anything else, right?
18:43Exactly.
18:44So parents, they are the key focal point in the house.
18:47And I think for a lot of things that we've done at the Content Forum, my team and I, we've done advocacy work and awareness and speaking to parents.
18:53There are many types of parenting styles out there.
18:56There are those who just give a device and hope for the best.
18:59And there are those who are very, they are very privy to what's the, what the risks are out there.
19:04And they take, you know, active, proactive steps to do the whole parental lock-in screens, etc.
19:09And there are also those who want to do it but don't know how.
19:12So those are the people that we are targeting with this.
19:15And we want to create more awareness so that the first group of people know that they're supposed to do this as well.
19:19And we want to guide other parents to see that there are things that you need to play a role in.
19:25You can't expect, I mean platforms have their duties, their roles and responsibilities and they're doing the best I assume they can and they're trying to improve more.
19:32The government is doing what they can with regulations and laws, etc.
19:36But at the end of the day, we need to rely on parents to take care of their own kids.
19:40And it's similar to the fact that, yes, we've got the family pairing.
19:46We have screen time management.
19:48We can set what kind of content goes on their FYP.
19:51We can set the kind of when you can.
19:53I think there's even access to having TikTok be not accessible to them for a while.
19:58Yes, time away from TikTok.
20:00I think some of the parents do that too.
20:02But that is available for parents too.
20:04But at the same time, I think this is not talked about highly enough.
20:08Parents also need to have very tough conversations with their kids.
20:12Things like might be taboo in those days, you know, talking about grooming, talking about stranger danger.
20:20It's not just strangers anymore.
20:21It's people that you are socializing with online.
20:23These are conversations that parents need to have with kids because if they're not having a conversation with their kids,
20:28people out there are having conversations with their children.
20:30So this is exactly the kind of thing that we want parents to understand.
20:34You've got the tools, you know the risk, and you also need to have these conversations.
20:38I'm just going off real here.
20:40I'm just wondering because you mentioned just now like the most important thing is how the parents manage the children.
20:46Because if the children don't have devices, they wouldn't be online, right?
20:50Precisely. But that's the thing. Do we want to go to that extent?
20:53Because like it or not, children, teenagers, they are digital natives.
20:57They're called digital natives for a reason.
20:59And then let's go back to 20, 30 years before digital natives were even in place.
21:03When I had to send my first son off to school after having him at home and under my care,
21:08you send him to school, you get to worry about everything.
21:11As a mom, I'm sure you can relate.
21:13You worry about him having to cross the road.
21:15You worry about him being bullied.
21:16You worry about him maybe being discriminated against by teachers, etc.
21:20But do you tell him never to go out? No.
21:23You let him go out, but you equip him with the knowledge and the tools to be resilient out there.
21:28How do you cross the road safely? What do you do if somebody bullies you? Who do you report to?
21:33So these are the lessons that should be mirrored in their life online.
21:37Parents need to equip their children with the same kind of tools.
21:40How do you face this risk? You can't protect them from this risk forever.
21:44And you can't ban them and then expect 16-year-old.
21:47You send them out and then they know everything.
21:49You need to have that gradual and continuous conversations about these things.
21:53Just to cut it out, because you mentioned this now,
21:56you cannot just flip a switch.
21:58And then 16-year-olds are allowed to be online, right?
22:01There's a whole different…
22:02There has to be a better implementation to that, which I assume there should be.
22:06Okay.
22:07All right.
22:08And, Sufina, going to you, based on everything that Puan Merida has mentioned, right?
22:13What was your take on the Parental Advisory?
22:17Think Twice Parental Advisory.
22:20Did it resonate with you?
22:22Did it feel like it at least encapsulates what you were feeling on how to manage younger people?
22:29I resonate very well.
22:31Because if you go through the Parental Advisory, it focuses more…
22:37Especially that part where you have to have the open conversations with your children.
22:41Because like Puan Merida mentioned, we cannot just ban them. We need to educate them.
22:46To me, if my child do not want to share anything online with me, I would say that I have lost my position as their safety space.
22:55As their safe space.
22:56So that is bad.
22:57Because we have to be the safe space for them.
23:00Okay.
23:01Coming back into the…
23:03Okay.
23:04Way back in 2022, I did a video on Family Pairing.
23:08Yes.
23:09Because Family Pairing was already there in 2022.
23:11And one thing about TikTok platform, why I like it, because to me, it's a safe platform.
23:17Depending on how you use it.
23:18Because the platform is neutral.
23:21It depends on how you teach your children to use the platform.
23:24It defines the outcome.
23:25Okay.
23:26Coming back to when I first initially started TikTok.
23:30When I knew…
23:31All I knew about TikTok was just about entertainment.
23:33You know, dancing.
23:34Dancing videos, right?
23:35But then during PKP, I have three children.
23:38So, three of my children have different FYP feed, you know?
23:42Interesting.
23:43So, during PKP, my daughter actually shared with me a lot of things that she found out.
23:48On chemistry, on mathematics.
23:50Then I asked her, where did you get this from TikTok?
23:52Where did you get this from TikTok?
23:54So, that's when I knew that that's the other side of TikTok.
23:58That's actually whatever we…
24:00It fits based on our interest, right?
24:03Okay.
24:04That's another thing that I want to share with all the panels today.
24:06Which I shared with some of my students who are parents.
24:09Because I told them, you have to know about this.
24:12Because TikTok platform actually identifies it.
24:16But we, as parents, we did not realise it.
24:19Why don't you open your TikTok now?
24:22Own your TikTok.
24:24I'm going to show you.
24:25I'm just going to demonstrate.
24:26We'll do some exercise here, okay?
24:28Oh, okay.
24:29So, if Taslim has a phone, and everyone here, if you have a phone, you just go into TikTok.
24:33I'm afraid I want to see.
24:34I see you, FYP.
24:35If you just type at the search bar, you type barcode.
24:39Ah, okay.
24:40Okay.
24:41So, where does it appear?
24:42It appears like this.
24:44Yeah.
24:45Okay.
24:46View resources, it says that you are not alone.
24:48Yeah.
24:49You know how I found out about this?
24:51I was talking to my daughter about what's happening in today's world.
24:54You know, children that have the intentions of, you know, self-harm.
25:02Self-harm.
25:03Then, my daughter told me about the barcode thing.
25:05I said, what is the barcode thing?
25:07I said, oh, that is a trend.
25:08There's currently a trend between youngsters when they have depressed.
25:12When they are in the, when they are depressed, they carve themselves.
25:16Yeah.
25:17They carve themselves.
25:18And sometimes it comes to a point, if you are depressed, and you tell your friend, I'm depressed.
25:23And then the friend said, I don't see any carving on your hand.
25:26So, they have, it's like a sense of belonging to a group.
25:29Okay.
25:30So, that is why when you search barcode on TikTok, it immediately appears like this.
25:35You are not alone.
25:36And if you view the resources, it says where you can get help and everything.
25:40So, when I saw this, I find it like the TikTok platform is already monitoring this.
25:47But we parents, do we know about this?
25:52So, why do we blame the platform?
25:54Why do we blame the social media platform?
25:58Because there's a lot of goods also.
26:00So, it's just, so for example, like I said just now, what about children who actually use the platform for good use?
26:07You know, like studying, they find creative stuff, they can learn a lot of stuff.
26:13So, if we just stop them, I mean, we stop everything.
26:19So, what about these children who are using it for good matters?
26:23So, it's not only the bad thing, but there's a lot of good things also in the platform.
26:29Okay, back to parenting.
26:31I agree with you, Pamariha.
26:33To me, everything boils down to parenting.
26:35Whatever media, whatever digital program, it goes back to our parenting.
26:39How we control the children.
26:41We cannot just put the whole responsibility to the platform.
26:45Yeah, exactly.
26:47Because they're humans, right?
26:49And they're dealing with you directly, right?
26:51Yes.
26:52Okay.
26:53I just want to add on from what teachers, you know, has mentioned just now.
26:56When it comes to barcode trends, right?
26:58So, all these trends is basically something that we are working closely with a lot of the community partners.
27:04At the international level, at the global level, regional as well as local level.
27:09So, we do have a very vast network of partners that we are working with in terms of identifying all these harmful trends.
27:16And based on these trends, we basically try to update ourselves and basically embedded that into the policy.
27:23And once it has been embedded into the policy, we can also come up with certain moderation policies and certain campaigns to basically tackle this kind of hub.
27:31Which is why from TikTok perspective, we'll continue to expand our community partner channel.
27:36And we're looking forward to expand this vast network of partnership with other NGOs and CSOs.
27:41Yeah.
27:42Okay.
27:43Alright, that sounds really positive.
27:44But I'm still not over this discussion on the social media ban for 16-year-olds.
27:48So, I'm going to ask Puan Madiha first, as a mother, why do you believe guided early exposure for youth is the smarter path towards building discerning resilient digital natives and talents for tomorrow instead of totally banning it?
28:02I know you've been talking about guided step-by-step levels of exposure.
28:07But just in general, why do people need to understand maybe banning it in total for 16-year-olds and below is not the best solution?
28:15Right.
28:16I think the first thing we need to agree with is the fact that digital skills are life skills, right?
28:22And when we want to, when we talk about guided exposure, we're not just guiding them to exposure about harmful content.
28:29We're not saying that we need to guide them to look at pornography, for example.
28:33Yeah.
28:34But if you look at social media in a tunnel perspective and you only see the harms, then that might be your perspective.
28:41But you also need to look at the fact that children will grow up to become teenagers, to become adults who need to have the resilience over, for example, financial scams.
28:49They need to know what are the red flags out there that they should look out for.
28:53They need to look out for people who might be bullying them, who might be scamming them, who might be grooming them.
28:59These are things that maybe you can have conversations with them.
29:02That does work, but it is a lot better if you hold your hand through the entire process.
29:07Now, let's not look at it in a way where you say, oh, you just want to expose your kids to risk and then, you know, hope for the best.
29:14No, we're talking about parents taking that journey together with the child.
29:19I don't know what the actual nitty gritty details are of this below 60 band.
29:24I don't think we all have the details yet, but I hope that it is tailored as well to the household and to the child.
29:33Because I mean, teachers, you probably agree with me. Our kids are not the same.
29:38You don't, you don't pop out kids who are alike. Some of them are not even like you.
29:42There might be those who are a lot mature at the age of 16 when there is compared to their siblings.
29:48Hopefully parents know best on what these child should be expected to do or the expectations are.
29:53And I think the responsibility needs to be placed back with the parents as well.
29:58And to answer your question, why guided exposure is something that I am advocating for?
30:05It's exactly because of the fact that you gain life experience from living it and you need to gain digital experience from being in the digital space,
30:13guided by the safeguards that the platforms have given and also guided by the parents who are there to supervise it all the way through.
30:21Okay. And what's Fina, your think on it? Like for the guided exposure?
30:25Okay. When I heard about it, yeah. Like Pamadiya said. I mean, kids are users but they are digital natives. You know?
30:35They will work around the system. They will find ways. Yeah. They will find ways. Definitely they will find ways.
30:42And when that happens and when they are online, they are not just online but they are online unprepared, unguided.
30:51That is more dangerous. And to me, it's like, if we block them, we are not just, we are not removing anything.
30:59We are just delaying it. We are just delaying the problems. So.
31:06One more thing. Yeah. Today we focus a lot on TikTok because it's TikTok.
31:11But, you know, when you ban TikTok or you ban certain platforms or apps, et cetera, there is a host of other alternative platforms that the kids can go to that are not as regulated.
31:24They don't have community guidelines or all these safety features that TikTok has invested in for 2 billion, for example.
31:30So what are we doing with those alternatives? We don't want to chase youths away into the dark corners of the web where no one is watching or no one is supervising as well.
31:40So that's a consideration that we need to think about as well.
31:43Exactly. At least this is like being monitored, right? Yeah. And there are features on it.
31:47So, Mr. Ferdows, I would like to ask you, how are the features on TikTok that you guys have invested in
31:55help parents manage their teens' online activities while still supporting them and having a balance?
32:02Where does it strike the balance between protection and empowerment?
32:06Because we don't want to make the teens feel like they're being watched, right?
32:11They need to have their own freedom and creativity. But what's your take on that?
32:16Where does it strike the balance of protection and empowerment?
32:20From a TikTok perspective, there are a couple of things that we are doing here, right?
32:24And mainly by giving the empowerment to their parents and the guardians so that they can actually curate a more safe experience for their digital natives.
32:34I don't know whether you know this touch name, but TikTok has over 50 features settings on the teens' TikTok account,
32:41which can be highly customized accordingly, right? And this includes a family pairing, as what Madihao has mentioned just now,
32:48basically to help the parents to guide teens in a secure and creative space.
32:53With the family pairing features, parents can actually link their accounts, their teens' account, for greater visibility, right?
33:00So you can actually monitor your kids' and children's activity, that's number one.
33:04And once the link has been established, you can actually monitor whatever the children's and the teens are uploading into the system, right?
33:12And what's more important is there's also an integration into a screen time dashboard.
33:18And this is when you can also help together with the children to customize their time away from TikTok, right?
33:25For example, during a study period. You can also limit the time frame per day for the kids to be engaging in TikTok.
33:32That's number two. And you can even limit or customize the sessions.
33:37Okay.
33:38So what I do personally, right, because this applies to us as an adult as well, or we as an individual as well, right?
33:44Yes.
33:45So what I did personally is I allocated a maximum of 90 minutes on TikTok, number one, right?
33:51So 90 minutes per day on TikTok, the maximum of 20 minutes per session, right?
33:57Wow.
33:58And time away from 12 a.m. onwards. That's what I did.
34:02That's for yourself?
34:03That's for myself.
34:04Wow.
34:05You don't do scrolling, right?
34:06Yes, I don't do scrolling, right?
34:08Wow.
34:09Okay.
34:10So that's what I did.
34:11I would really hope to see that the parents did maximize the functions as well, right?
34:16And apply that with their kids.
34:18And what's more important, right?
34:19It's not just about monitoring the children.
34:22It's about having an insight on what the behavior of our kids are online in the digital spaces.
34:29That's number one.
34:30And number two is using those insights to have a more structured conversations on how to customize their digital experience, right?
34:37Because the thing about the survey that I mentioned just now, the youth will find a lot of connections and meaningful purposes on digital spaces.
34:46And we want to protect that, right?
34:48We want them to find new purposes.
34:50We want them to establish a new connection that is fulfilling.
34:54And we want them to take advantage of the platform so that they can actually express themselves creatively.
35:00Okay.
35:01Right?
35:02So we don't want to compromise that.
35:03And how do we do this is by enabling a family pairing.
35:07Let them behave online.
35:09And we interfere and we have a structured conversation when it's needed to, without compromising their creativity and expressions.
35:17So I think that's the whole idea of family pairing.
35:21I just want to mention another thing.
35:23I mentioned just now about safety by design integrations into our products.
35:28And we really truly reflected that by enforcing U16.
35:32And what I mean by that is we have a customized setting where we can actually reset accounts on private with unlimited features for those who are between you 13, from 13 years old until 16 years old.
35:47Okay.
35:48Right?
35:49So there's no direct messaging, for example, by any of the strangers.
35:52There's no monetization that is allowed for these teenagers, right, within this age bracket.
35:59And on top of that, what's more important is we also don't allow the registration of U13 to be created, under 13 to be created on our platform.
36:08So I think the combination of all these settings together with, I think Mediha just now mentioned about a function called Manage Topics.
36:17So the Manage Topics is something that is quite useful, not just for the children, but also for us as an individual, right?
36:26Because sometimes we are being fed with too many similar content.
36:30So what we can do as a parent, as an individual, is basically to customize those Manage Topics.
36:38Very easy, you go to the setting, you go to Manage Topics, and you just slide more often or less often for diverse sets of topics.
36:45Which includes entertainment, F&Bs, nature and sports and whatnot, that is highly customized for UFeed, right?
36:54And that can also be customized for your children as well, right?
36:58And that's what we wanted, right?
37:00A structured conversation with the children on all these kind of settings.
37:05And hopefully, it will enhance their understanding of the harm in the digital spaces.
37:11And based on that insights, we can also help them to educate them on various aspects of in-reporting features that we have.
37:20And blocking, for example, that we have in our platform.
37:24Last but not least, I mean, we're talking about setting this now.
37:30Last but not least is, of course, when it comes to advocacy with regards to a digital literacy campaign.
37:35We also have a Think Twice knowledge hub that we have launched and we have enhanced further.
37:42And this knowledge hub provided a lot of information to our community members in terms of resources to strengthen the understanding of digital literacy.
37:52And we have also covered areas like scam prevention and mental health awareness inside our knowledge hub.
37:59So please do visit this resource centre.
38:01You know, Mr. Verdouse, it's so interesting that there's so many features for TikTok.
38:09Because like when I was growing up, I mean, when we were all growing up, we had our social media platforms, right?
38:14But it wasn't as...
38:16Was it just me?
38:18I think it's just you.
38:19Okay.
38:20So like when I was like...
38:21My social media platform was the playground.
38:22Okay.
38:23So like when I was like in high school and stuff, like we had our social media platforms.
38:27Right.
38:28We don't...
38:29Most of them are dead now.
38:30Um, but we need to say that there was no, there was no features at all.
38:35Like I was like...
38:36Correct.
38:37It was like the jungle.
38:38Free for all.
38:39Yeah, free for all.
38:40Like we were in the wild.
38:41Yeah, yeah.
38:42So internet was like a totally new arena, right?
38:45Absolutely.
38:46And I don't want to compare then and now.
38:48But I'm just saying that there's way more protection.
38:50True.
38:51And way more features to control.
38:53And if my parents knew what I was doing online, but I'm very...
38:58I think we're all saying the same thing, right?
38:59Yes.
39:00But I was quite clean compared to other people.
39:02Right.
39:03But I'm just saying that this is way better.
39:06Like I feel more safer knowing that there are things that we are able to control.
39:10Correct.
39:11I mean as parents, right?
39:12True.
39:13Because we don't know what children's are...
39:15I mean not children, children, teenagers are scrolling in general, right?
39:18Yes.
39:19So it's great that there are features to control and monitor because not everyone, not all platforms
39:24are doing it, right?
39:25True.
39:26So before we wrap up, I'd love to get your take, each of you guys, on how we can guide
39:33and empower teens through the digital world and understanding both generations, all generations
39:40actually, all generations because I feel like millennials are still trying to understand
39:44Gen Zs and Gen Zs are still trying to understand rumors and things like that, right?
39:48But teens, Gen Alpha, are also trying to understand the world that we have been living in as well,
39:57right?
39:58So what's your one key takeaway regarding teens, their teens' digital journey, especially
40:04to parents?
40:05Like what's the key takeaway here?
40:06For me, just parents walk that journey with the teens.
40:10Just take that journey together.
40:12This is not an us versus them thing in any sense of the word.
40:15It's not platform versus government, parents versus platform, kids versus parents.
40:19No.
40:20This is, everyone has the same objective.
40:21We want the platform.
40:23We want the TikTok, everyone else on the internet to be safe for all of us.
40:27So we each need the role to play.
40:30And for today, we're focusing on how parents can do that.
40:32And that is by walking that journey with the kids, guided by things like the Think Twice
40:37campaign that we have.
40:38And also all the resources that Firdaus has been talking about in TikTok and every other
40:43platform, parents need to know that that's available for them.
40:46It's no point in investing in it and having it if parents are not using it.
40:51So use that and take that journey with your child.
40:53Okay.
40:54I think we'll go with Puan Sufina first before we end it with Ms. Firdaus.
40:59I can take one word from Puan Mariah about blaming.
41:03We cannot be playing blaming game here.
41:06It's a shared responsibility.
41:07I used to think it takes a village to raise a child, but now it's the whole country to raise a child.
41:12True.
41:13And from whatever that we discussed today, it all boils down to the parenting.
41:18Yeah.
41:19Yeah.
41:20So to me, like what Puan Mariah said also, you walk through the journey with your child.
41:25And you have to be involved with them.
41:28Yeah.
41:29With whatever activities that they have online, offline, you have to be involved.
41:33Then you know what's going on.
41:35Yeah.
41:36Maybe we can get some advice from you.
41:37Like how can the parents start having a conversation with the kids?
41:41Because not everybody is very open.
41:43Even guardians, right?
41:44Yeah.
41:45Maybe it's not their mom or dad, but maybe their auntie or uncle are the ones trying to
41:51have the conversation to have the care about how to navigate online journeys.
41:56To me, okay, I would say I am thankful that my children until today, right from the eldest
42:04being 27 years old and the youngest is 20.
42:07Okay.
42:08They keep coming back to me if they have anything that they want to ask.
42:11And I enjoy that.
42:12I want them to come to me to ask whether this is right or this is wrong.
42:15Even girlfriend matters also.
42:17If this girl is right or if this girl is not right, that's what we want.
42:22I want to be the safe space for them.
42:25So I think the most important thing is you need to spend time with the child.
42:30You need to spend time.
42:31And you have to model the healthy habits as well.
42:34You can say about screen time.
42:36You can say whatever.
42:37But if you yourself are not doing it.
42:40We see a lot nowadays if we go to restaurants.
42:42We see parents with the children on all of them on their tab, on their phone.
42:45They hardly speak to each other.
42:47When that is the time that you should spend with your kids having a conversation.
42:52Do you think sometimes parents are the ones glued on their phones as well?
42:55Yes.
42:56It's like set by example.
42:58Yeah.
42:59And then another thing is you don't ask, what are you watching on the phone?
43:01What are you watching now?
43:02What do you watch?
43:03You know, instead of you, okay, you watch it together with them.
43:06And then you tell them and advise them.
43:08How do you feel about this content?
43:10What makes you feel?
43:11How do you find it?
43:12And then you can actually read their minds and how they think.
43:16Then from there, you guide them.
43:18You know, you cannot just dismiss them.
43:20If they want to show something.
43:22You just say,
43:24You need to educate them.
43:26Why is it not good?
43:27Because they need to know what's wrong and what's right.
43:32And the only thing they can know is for us to guide them.
43:36Yeah.
43:37That's great.
43:38Because sometimes people just assume.
43:39It's a very old traditional method.
43:41Yeah.
43:42No, no.
43:43Tak boleh buat ni, tak boleh buat tu kind of thing.
43:44I want to share once.
43:45Oh yes.
43:46Sekejap je, sekejap je.
43:47I remember I advise my daughter.
43:48I see something online.
43:50Then I advise her.
43:51When she said back to me,
43:53Ibu, do you actually think I will do that?
43:56It's like I made her feel like,
44:00Is this how you think of me?
44:03You know?
44:04When she said that,
44:05I tukar the way I asked.
44:07Instead of I tanya,
44:09Macam I am claiming that you can actually do this.
44:12So it's more on like,
44:14What do you think of this?
44:15Yeah.
44:16You rather than,
44:17You jangan buat benda-benda macam ni.
44:18Because we make them feel that,
44:21We underestimate them.
44:24Underestimate them, right?
44:25Underestimate them, yeah.
44:26Okay, that's great.
44:27Like they never underestimate or accuse them
44:30of potentially doing it, right?
44:32And some children, they don't like that.
44:34They don't like to be seen like,
44:35They are there, you know?
44:38What's that?
44:39You get what I'm saying?
44:40Yeah, I completely get what you're saying.
44:41I totally understand that.
44:43I totally understand that.
44:44We were kids too.
44:45Yes.
44:46Yes, we were kids too.
44:47Yeah.
44:48Okay, Mr. Firdaus, closing.
44:49Yeah.
44:50I think coming back from,
44:51Probably not closing as yet.
44:53But coming back from us being kids, right?
44:55We used to be young before.
44:56And obviously,
44:57Long time ago.
44:58Yeah.
44:59And the fact that when we were younger,
45:01I think one character that was obvious,
45:04was the fact that we don't like to be controlled.
45:06Yeah, definitely.
45:07We don't like to be controlled.
45:08And therefore,
45:09I think that's aligned with the international recognition
45:13of the children's rights as well.
45:15Yes.
45:16We are talking about the rights for them to be
45:19Empowered.
45:20Freedom empowered.
45:21Freedom of thoughts.
45:22Yeah.
45:23Freedom towards access of information.
45:25Yep.
45:26And on top of that,
45:27the freedom of self-express themselves.
45:30As well as privacy.
45:31Yes.
45:32So when it comes to a combination of all these four components,
45:34I think it's very important for the parents
45:36to be much more intentional
45:38when it comes to engaging with their children.
45:41And that's exactly what TikTok wants to enable.
45:44Empower the parents with all the tools
45:46and resource help that we have.
45:48Leverage on all the features of family pairings and whatnot.
45:51And use that to have a structured conversation
45:54with their children to basically customize
45:56and curate their digital experience moving forward
46:00on TikTok's platform.
46:01I think that's the whole idea, right?
46:03And to us in TikTok,
46:05raising a responsible digital native
46:07start with informed, intentional parenting.
46:10So my call for the audience today
46:13is basically to go to Think Twice.
46:15To go to TikTok, obviously.
46:16Yep.
46:17And go to the search bar
46:19and put hashtag Think Twice on TikTok.
46:21And because guidance begins with understanding,
46:24not control.
46:26Download TikTok.
46:27Download TikTok.
46:28Download TikTok and understand it.
46:30Understanding.
46:31As a summary, right?
46:32Like, just to make sure everybody understands out there, right?
46:36Like, the importance is actually guiding and educating
46:40and sharing the digital journey with the teens, right?
46:46The teens especially.
46:47I mean, you can do everything you want,
46:49but like, if they don't know the difference between yes or no,
46:53or right or wrong,
46:55it will never reach to a point where they understand fully, right?
46:58Yeah.
46:59Completely agree.
47:00And like, when we talk about physical,
47:02okay, there's just,
47:04there's a whole issue of like,
47:07you know, online is online.
47:08Digital is a digital world,
47:11and physical is the physical reality.
47:13There is no such thing in today's world, right?
47:15No.
47:16Like, what do you have to say?
47:17No, no such thing.
47:18I think that we already,
47:19digital life and online life,
47:21offline, it's the same thing.
47:22And it's the same with laws as well.
47:24Whatever is illegal offline is illegal online.
47:27So whatever we do,
47:28online and offline,
47:29it's the same.
47:30Same repercussions,
47:31same responsibilities.
47:32There is no such thing as your online persona.
47:34Okay, Poinsifina,
47:35I think you have something to say.
47:37I don't know.
47:38Again, what you were saying?
47:41I was saying that like,
47:42you know, some people say online is online.
47:44Physical reality is physical reality.
47:46It's not together.
47:47But people always forget that,
47:48right now,
47:49it's a totally different world.
47:50Dulu maybe,
47:51like that,
47:52but in the 90s or...
47:53In the 90s,
47:54your internet was a corner in the family room
47:56with a PC
47:57that everybody can see where you're looking at.
47:59It's completely different to how children and teenagers
48:02consume content on the internet now.
48:04It's not a PC in the room.
48:06It's in their devices.
48:07Exactly.
48:08So I think it's important
48:09that we realise that as well.
48:10And that's why we have all these features to monitor
48:13and to make sure everybody is not controlled.
48:17It's not controlled.
48:18Not controlled.
48:19To me, the parents got to be educated also
48:21about the social media platform.
48:23There are parents who do not want at all
48:25to have anything to do with that social media platform.
48:27Yeah, that's true.
48:28No, no TikTok.
48:29But if they are not involved,
48:32then how do they know?
48:33Yeah.
48:34Yes.
48:36Alright.
48:37So those are great takeaways.
48:38Thank you so much for being here with us today
48:40on the Think Twice podcast.
48:43So before we end, I just want to say that
48:46I hope you guys listen to everything that was discussed
48:49and understand and comprehend because it's a whole journey.
48:52It doesn't end here.
48:53I mean, just because it's been proposed to be banned next year
48:57doesn't mean it's going to end, right?
49:00The world's not going to end anytime soon.
49:02So parents, it's important to remember
49:05it's not about restricting access but also
49:08but actually about guiding your teens
49:11on how to use digital platforms
49:14and how to survive online, right?
49:17So I hope you found this discussion helpful today
49:21and we will be having two more episodes in the coming future
49:25and we hope for you to follow all the experts tips
49:28and yeah, I hope you guys check out TikTok's parental features,
49:33advisory features.
49:34So I am Tasim Lokman and thank you so much for joining us.
49:38Make sure to follow Sinar Daily on all social media platforms
49:41and download our app.
49:43Okay.
49:44Thank you so much, guys.
49:45See you.
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