Malaysia is set to enforce a minimum age of 16 for social media use under the Online Safety Act (OnSA), with implementation expected as early as July 2026.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the move aims to protect children and teenagers from exploitation and inappropriate online content. Discussions with social media platforms are ongoing to determine the safest and most effective method of age verification.
The government plans for all platforms to implement digital user identity verification (eKYC) by the end of Q2 2026 to enforce the age limit.
Teo also confirmed the MADANI Government has allocated RM800 million this year for Early Schooling Assistance, helping about 5.2 million students from Year One to Form Six. In Johor, 586,153 students received RM87.9 million, including 58,264 students in the Kulai district who benefited from RM8.7 million.
