LETTER | The tabling of the Cybercrime Bill next month has raised hopes of tackling the rise of sexual crimes in Malaysia. In particular, there is an expectation that this bill will help curb the circulation of underage lewd content.

However, laws alone are not enough if we do not also educate our children about the dangers of creating and selling such content in the first place.

Child activist Firdaus Ashaj has warned that youths producing and selling sexually explicit material often go undetected, as payment channels make it difficult to trace what the money is for.

There have already been reports of minors receiving money from adults in exchange for explicit images or videos. Coercion and manipulation may play a role, and it is crucial to address these problems at their root causes.

The reasons why underage children or teenagers resort to selling explicit content must be specifically identified and targeted. Poverty and financial hardship may push them into these situations, but exploitation by manipulative adults cannot be ignored.

If financial need is the main factor, young people must be guided towards safer alternatives, supported through community initiatives and government subsidies. At the same time, parents and relatives have a duty to protect their children from predators with malicious intent.

Before policies and safeguards for e-wallet transactions are introduced, parents must be the first line of defence. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) stresses that parents can play a direct role in protecting their children online by:

1. Cyberparenting – Supervising, guiding, and monitoring children’s online activities while teaching digital safety and awareness of risks.

2. Spending time online together – Encouraging safe and positive digital experiences with friends and family, while teaching children to recognise and avoid inappropriate content.

3. Setting clear ground rules – Explaining that anything shared online leaves a digital footprint, and that photos, videos, or comments can be misused. Rules such as not posting personal photos may help protect children.

4. Modelling healthy online habits – Children learn from example. Parents must be alert to changes in behaviour, such as secrecy or distress related to online activity, which may indicate harassment, exploitation, or abuse.

Protecting our youth must begin in the family. Parents, educators, communities, and policymakers must work together to ensure children are safe in the digital age.

With youths now gaining access to the internet at increasingly earlier stages of life, cybersecurity must strike a careful balance. It should shield them from harmful and explicit content while still allowing spaces for healthy social relationships.

Total restriction is neither practical nor sustainable, but leaving them exposed places them at risk of harm that can last a lifetime.

We must build an online environment where young people can grow and learn without the threat of sexual exploitation destroying their futures.

The writer is Wanita MCA national chairperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.