Malaysia has in recent years stepped up scrutiny of social media companies after finding a sharp rise in harmful online content, Reuters reported. Malaysian authorities consider online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty as harmful.
The government plans age verification for users in 2026, following similar moves around the world to limit social media use among minors.
CNA previously reported that countries around the world have been mulling social media bans for those under 16, even as tech firms have touted their own child safety features and warned of unintended effects in their bid to push back against more regulation.
In March, Indonesia started enforcing a social media ban for under-16s in a bid to shield some 70 million children from the threats of online pornography, cyberbullying and internet addiction.
And just this week, the country said that it is mulling an e-commerce ban for those under 16.
Experts said that while tech firms can highlight how they are already protecting children on their respective platforms, the debate has moved beyond safety tools to whether they can demonstrate systemic and enforceable measures.
Just this week, MCMC ordered TikTok to take action against “offensive and defamatory” content about Malaysia’s monarchy.
And earlier this year, the regulator briefly blocked access to the AI assistant Grok amid a global backlash over its use to create sexually explicit images of people without their consent.