LETTER | In an age where digital manipulation can make anything appear real, the threat to children and young people has taken on terrifying new dimensions.
Today, artificial intelligence can fabricate sexually explicit images that look convincingly real - placing anyone, including children and teenagers, at the centre of a trauma they never consented to.
This is the new frontier of online sexual abuse and Malaysia is dangerously unprepared.
While we’ve made progress, such as changing the term “child pornography” to the more accurate “child sexual abuse material” (CSAM), our legal system still falls short in addressing AI-generated abuse and non-consensual intimate imagery, often known as “revenge porn”.
Fake images, real harm
Deepfakes and AI-generated nudes may be “fake” in form, but their emotional and psychological consequences are anything but.
These images can ruin reputations, fuel bullying, provoke suicidal thoughts, and destroy a young person’s sense of safety.
In Malaysia, young women and girls are the most frequent targets, but teenage boys and children are increasingly victimised too.
When their images - real or fabricated - are shared without consent, they’re exposed to shame, fear, and lifelong trauma.
Many suffer in silence, lacking both legal protection and mental health support.
Legal gaps
Currently, Malaysia has no specific law criminalising image-based sexual abuse or revenge porn.
Victims must rely on vague or outdated legal provisions under the Penal Code or the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
These were never designed to deal with synthetic content, and they don’t go far enough.
The Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 only applies if the victim is under 18 and the abuse material is “real”. AI-generated content often falls into a legal grey area - especially if no actual image was manipulated but instead created from scratch.
In practice, this means a teen whose deepfake nude goes viral may have no legal recourse, even if the damage is deeply felt.
And let’s be clear - the harm of humiliation and fear is real.
Beyond legal remedies, victims face another enormous hurdle: mental health.
Young survivors often internalise the abuse. They blame themselves. They struggle to return to school. They withdraw socially.
In conservative environments, they may be shamed into silence or pushed out of their homes. Some suffer anxiety, panic attacks, or suicidal ideation.
And yet, trauma-sensitive support systems are almost non-existent.
If we are serious about ending sexual violence, our response must include psychological support, confidential reporting mechanisms, and non-judgmental services that centre around the survivor’s dignity and healing - not just the legal outcome.
The way forward
Malaysia must move swiftly to close these gaps and align with international best practices.
The law must recognise that sexual abuse isn’t limited to physical acts and that technology is now a tool for abuse.
We urgently need:
A comprehensive Image-Based Sexual Abuse law, criminalising the creation, possession, and sharing of real or fake intimate images without consent, especially when minors are involved.
Access to mental health services for survivors, including trauma counselling and peer support networks.
Education and awareness campaigns in schools about digital consent, online safety, and the legal consequences of sharing intimate images.
Platform accountability, with tech companies required to detect and remove abusive content swiftly.
We can no longer allow outdated laws and cultural taboos to silence victims of digital abuse.
AI should be used to build a better future - not to replicate or simulate abuse for entertainment, humiliation, or revenge.
If the law doesn’t evolve, the abuse will. Malaysia must lead with compassion, clarity, and courage because even when the image isn’t real, the harm is.
Writer is the founder of Warna Minda, a youth-led movement actively championing mental health awareness and drive policy change in Malaysia.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
