Malaysia mulls social media ban for under-16s

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia says it is planning to block children under 16 from signing up to social media accounts next year, in a move to tighten access over child-safety concerns.

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said Sunday the government was looking at how Australia and other countries dealt with imposing online age restrictions.

“We hope that by next year, social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to bar those under 16 from opening social media accounts,” Fahmi said in a video posted online by Malaysian daily The Star.

“So I believe … if the government, government agencies and parents each play their respective roles, we can ensure that the internet in Malaysia is not just fast …but most importantly, safe, especially for children and families,” he added.

Malaysia in recent years has tightened its oversight of social media services in an attempt to combat rising cybercrime.

This includes requiring platforms and messaging services with more than eight million users in the country to obtain a licence under new regulations that took effect in January.

Several MPs in October backed the government’s plan to ban under-16s, calling for proper mechanisms to verify the ages of users when they register for accounts.

A survey by Ipsos Malaysia Education Monitor 2025 released by local media in September, revealed that 72 percent of respondents in Malaysia agreed that the use of social media should be restricted among children.

In Australia, social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, will be forced to remove users under the age of 16 from December 10 onwards or face hefty fines.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will also introduce a similar bill to restrict children’s social media use.

And the Dutch government advised parents this year to forbid children under 15 from using social media apps such as TikTok and Snapchat.

Meanwhile, five EU countries — Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain — are testing an app aimed at preventing children from accessing harmful content online by checking users’ ages.