00:04Malaysia is planning a major change to how children use social media.
00:09Starting in mid-2026, those under 16 will no longer be allowed to run social media accounts
00:15on their own. That does not mean a total ban. What it means is this. If you are under 16,
00:21you can still be on social media, but only through an account managed or supervised by a parent.
00:26So why is Malaysia doing this now? Part of the momentum came from Australia,
00:32which became the first country to roll out a nationwide under 16 social media restriction
00:38in December 2005. This model is often described as delay, not ban. Instead of deleting a child's
00:46account, the platform can quarantine it until the user is old enough. Malaysia seems to be looking
00:52at something similar, but with its own version built around parental oversight. And the thinking
00:57behind it is pretty straightforward. Children face real risks online. That includes cyberbullying,
01:04harmful content, contact with strangers, child grooming, scams. From January to November 2025
01:11alone, Malaysians lost about 2.7 billion ringgit to online scams. In a separate operation in September
01:18that year, authorities seized nearly 900,000 child sexual abuse material files. And from
01:252022 to early 2026, more than 1,500 requests were made to remove highly offensive content involving
01:32children. This is not nearly an age restriction issue. It is a public health-oriented digital
01:40governorship whereby we are treating the online harm as a systemic issue rather than individual behavioural
01:47problem. These concerns are primarily catalysts for the policy. In fact, the decision is largely justified
01:56as a child protection and mental health intervention rather than a moral or disciplinary one.
02:04So, how would this policy actually work? Cybersecurity expert M Selvakumar of University Science of Malaysia
02:11says one likely model is that a child's account would be linked to a verified adult identity.
02:18That means the parent creates or oversees the account instead of the child signing up independently.
02:23The child's account is essentially delegated by a verified adult rather than independently created.
02:30The ban could include restrictions to only approve contacts and messages and monitoring of usage.
02:37However, its effectiveness will depend largely on parental involvement.
02:41But how do you actually prove someone is under 16? Malaysia is expected to lean on systems like
02:48My Digital ID and electronic Know Your Customer checks.
02:52The EKYC using MyCard is the most immediately feasible route for Malaysian users since MyCard is near universally held.
03:04Still, there are some unanswered questions. What happens if platforms do not comply? Or how will the rules be applied
03:12across different apps?
03:13Under the Online Safety Act, Q25, platforms are already expected to do more to protect children from harmful content and
03:21infractions.
03:22The legislation introduces specific obligations for platforms that post or distribute user-generated content with child safety as a core
03:31pillar of the new framework.
03:32So this new move would push that even further.
03:36The full details are still to come.
03:38But if implemented, the rules would mark a significant shift in how young people in Malaysia access social media and
03:45who is responsible for it.
03:47Natasha Bust, FMT
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