The government is planning to introduce restrictions on social media account access for children under the age of 16 as part of efforts to strengthen online safety and protection measures.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the initiative is expected to be implemented by the end of June, subject to final approval and review.
He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is currently running a regulatory sandbox with social media platforms to study existing mechanisms used by service providers.
“We are not only looking at age assurance, but also age verification. Malaysia has a different legal framework as we have official identity documents such as MyKad,” he told reporters after attending the Communications Ministry’s monthly assembly.
Also present were Deputy Communications Minister Datuk Teo Nie Ching, Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah, and Bernama Chief Executive Officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.
Fahmi said discussions have already taken place with social media platforms in Singapore, where the issue was recently reviewed at length.
He added that the platforms are currently assessing the proposal and are expected to provide feedback soon before further decisions are made.
According to him, several platforms have shown readiness to comply with the proposed restrictions, with further engagements scheduled before implementation.
The minister previously stated that the government is exploring a minimum age requirement of 16 for new social media registrations.
The move comes as more countries consider tighter regulations on youth access to social media, including Australia, which recently implemented restrictions on users under 16 due to concerns over its impact on young people.
