From financial scams to cyberbullying and online exploitation, digital threats have become a pervasive reality, affecting Malaysians of all ages. Everyone is at risk, yet many still underestimate the risks lurking behind their screens.
In today’s digital landscape, young people are not just participants - they are powerful influencers. Their voices carry weight, making them uniquely positioned to drive conversations and action around online safety.
Recognising this potential, four organisations - Ratio:Cause, CelcomDigi Berhad, the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (Content Forum), and Meta Platforms, Inc - recently banded together to make a lasting impact through the Youth IRL (In Real Life) initiative. The fellowship focuses on empowering youth leaders with the knowledge and tools to raise scam awareness and champion safer digital spaces within their communities.
Youth IRL builds on the momentum of Creators IRL, a flagship programme that mobilises prominent content creators to advocate for safer online practices through their social media platforms.
Expanding the impact of online safety advocacy
In February, 10 young Malaysians, aged 18 to 25, were selected from across Malaysia to participate in Youth IRL, based on their passion for online safety, critical thinking skills, and innovative solutions.
Over these past three months, they underwent mentorship with industry leaders, including the Communications Ministry, CelcomDigi, Content Forum, PayNet, and CyberSecurity Malaysia. The programme covers key areas such as scam awareness, digital literacy, and public policy.
Beyond training, these fellows engage in discussions about the real-world challenges of online safety and identify policy gaps. At the end of their fellowship, they will present a working paper with policy recommendations on internet governance to the Communications Ministry - ensuring that the voices of digital natives help shape Malaysia’s online safety policies.
Programme partner CelcomDigi, a telco serving over 20 million Malaysians, recognises its responsibility and is committed to fostering a safer and more secure digital environment for all.
“With our scale and resources, we are uniquely positioned to build a trusted digital society along with partners. Through initiatives like the Online Safety IRL campaign, we are building a dynamic community of advocates and collective voice to amplify online safety awareness, shape conversations and influence behaviours,” said Philip Ling, Head of Sustainability at CelcomDigi.
A concerted effort to combat digital threats
Youth IRL is part of the larger Online Safety IRL campaign, which also includes Creators IRL. Together, both programmes work to raise awareness about scams, online child exploitation, cyberbullying, and digital threats through engaging content and advocacy.
Since its launch, Creators IRL has empowered 10 social media influencers - including Vikarworld, Raj Mahal, Alexey Brock, Hafiz Baharudin, and Jane Teoh - to integrate online safety messaging into their content.
Their efforts include educational videos across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, covering topics like scam prevention, child safety, and the dangers of online gaming. The campaign has also amplified awareness of Malaysia’s National Scam Resource Centre’s 997 hotline, which provides urgent support for scam victims.
Leadership support and future expansion
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching emphasised the importance of engaging youth and content creators in shaping a safer digital space.
“Tackling online threats requires a balanced approach - holding perpetrators accountable while empowering internet users with knowledge to protect themselves. By including youth voices in policymaking, we can create digital policies that reflect real user experiences. We are proud of the progress so far and look forward to expanding these efforts.”
New Su Shern, executive director of Ratio:Cause, shared the inspiration behind the creation of the Youth IRL programme and her optimism about its impact:
“From the start, our main goal with this online safety programme has been to make sure the voices on the ground are truly heard and represented. At the heart of it, it’s about bridging content creators and the youth leaders with the government, and corporate partners in the industry.”
“There are three areas we really want to champion and make a difference in. They are cyberbullying, online safety for children and data protection. Scams are a huge issue in Malaysia. It’s alarming that most Malaysians still give up personal data not knowing the dangers and risks,” said CelcomDigi’s Ling.
“Scam issues are ever evolving so we need to constantly upgrade ourselves to make sure that we are on par with the latest modus operandi out there and from there, build campaigns, programmes, content and engagements to reach out to internet users,” he added.
Daniel Lim, head of public policy for Malaysia at Meta, highlighted the company’s role in fostering a positive digital environment:
“We want young people to connect and engage online in a way that makes them feel safe. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to online safety in Malaysia.”
Finally, Mediha Mahmood, CEO of Content Forum, underscored the importance of empowering youth in digital governance:
“Young people are not just internet users - they are shaping the online world every day. Their voices must be at the centre of online safety discussions to ensure real, lasting change.”
Fellows of Creators IRL and Youth IRL speak
Creators IRL - Esty Richard @estyrichard
“Everybody has a responsibility, on this platform. It’s bigger than ourselves. It’s fine to post about you, your life and everything else but social media has become so big that when people read the news or learn anything new, it’s always on social media. So content creators, regardless of how many followers they have, need to be responsible for the messages they put out.”
Creators IRL - Raj Mahal @rajmahalbro
“So one of the key takeaways I have from this programme is the realisation that there is a system, a process in place for people to report online scam cases. You can call 997, the National Scam Response Centre hotline. They are the first people you should call before making a police report.
“What we're working on is awareness, many different stakeholders coming together making sure that people don't even get scammed in the first place.”
Youth IRL - Ephesean Tan
“There is so much potential for Malaysia’s youth to create change and I hope that by the end of the Youth IRL programme, we can help more Malaysians have a better understanding of the ecosystem of scams and lead to behavioural change - like fact-checking and not proceeding with transactions if their gut feeling tells them that things look sketchy.”
Join the movement
As the Online Safety IRL campaign continues to grow, Malaysians are encouraged to follow and support the initiative. To explore content from Creators IRL, visit onlinesafetyirl.com or follow @heycreatorsirl on Instagram and TikTok. For updates on Youth IRL, follow @youthsirl on Instagram and TikTok.
This S.A.F.E. Internet Series is in collaboration with CelcomDigi.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
