No social media accounts for under-16s starting next year

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Malaysians below the age of 16 will not be allowed to sign up for social media accounts from next year as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen online safety for children.

“We expect all platform providers to be ready to implement eKYC (electronic know your customer identity verification) by next year,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

“Other countries may have their own approaches, and we will study them,” he said, noting that Australia would be implementing a social media age limit next month.

The government aims to ban social media use for children under 16 as part of broader protections under the Online Safety Act, effective Jan 1.

Fahmi also urged parents to promote outdoor activities instead of screen time and supervise their children’s gadget use.

The cabinet has raised the minimum social media age from the earlier proposed 13 to 16, requiring platforms to verify users’ ages via official documents like MyKad, passports, or MyDigital ID through eKYC.

Spate of school violence

Last month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, when commenting on a spate of violence in schools, said the unchecked use of social media was responsible for driving most of these cases.

“The responsibility, of course, goes back to parents and schools, but almost all of these issues stem from the (unchecked) use of mobile phones and social media,” he said.

The prime minister’s remarks came in the wake of a Form Four student being allegedly stabbed to death in a school toilet by a 14-year-old schoolmate in Bandar Utama.

Before that, four Form Five students were held over their alleged involvement in the gang rape of a Form Three student in Malacca.

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