Malaysia Considers Social Media Ban for Under-16s

Malaysia Considers Social Media Age Restrictions

Mirroring an impending ban in Australia, Malaysia is now evaluating the implementation of age limitations for social media users.

According to reports, Malaysia’s Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil, has indicated that the government is exploring methods to enforce age restrictions on prominent social media platforms.

Proposed Restrictions and Platforms

The proposed regulations would prevent individuals under the age of 16 from creating accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fadzil expressed optimism that these platforms will adhere to the government’s decision by the following year.

“It is anticipated that social media platforms will be in compliance with the government’s directive to prevent account creation by those younger than 16 years of age,” Fadzil stated.

Growing Global Trend

Malaysia’s potential move aligns with a worldwide trend of increasing scrutiny and regulation of social media access for minors.

Several nations are actively pursuing age restrictions or verification protocols to safeguard children from potential harms linked to social media use. Australia has already enacted legislation requiring the deactivation of accounts belonging to users under 16, effective December 10th.

European and US Initiatives

France, Denmark, Italy, and Norway are currently developing comparable measures for social media platforms. In the United States, 24 states have already passed laws requiring age verification.

Utah pioneered age-verification requirements in the U.S., mandating app stores to verify user ages and secure parental consent before minors can download applications.

United Kingdom's Online Safety Act

The U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which took effect in July, compels social media and online platforms to restrict children’s access to detrimental content, with substantial fines for non-compliance.

Robust age verification systems are mandated in the U.K. for content deemed high-risk, including material related to self-harm and eating disorders, to protect individuals under 18.