Malaysia will ban social media use for children under 16 from next year, the government announced on Sunday, after Australia became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media platforms.
Malaysia’s communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the country needed to protect youths from online harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams, and child sexual abuse.
The government was reviewing mechanisms to impose age restrictions for using social media like other nations, he said.
“We hope by next year that social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to bar those under the age of 16 from opening user accounts,” he told reporters.
The ban will be part of the new Online Safety Act 2025, which was passed by the parliament in December 2024 to enhance online safety by regulating harmful content on digital platforms and imposing responsibilities on online service providers.
Malaysia growing number of countries imposing age limits over escalating concerns about online safety.
The impact of social media on children’s mental health and safety has become a global concern, with TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta – the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – all facing lawsuits in the United States over their role in fuelling a youth mental health crisis.
In Australia, social media platforms are poised to deactivate accounts registered to users under 16 next month, under a sweeping ban for teenagers that is being closely watched by regulators around the world. Platforms found to breach the law may face fines of up to $32.09mn (A$49.5mn).
A recent study revealed that daily social media use among young people in Australia has jumped from 26 per cent to 85 per cent in a span of just four years, while youth participation in almost every other “enriching” activity, such as sports, reading, music, and art, declined rapidly.
France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece are also jointly testing a template for an age verification app.
Indonesia, Malaysia’s neighbour, had signalled plans to introduce a minimum age for social media, but later settled on a milder regulation ordering platforms to filter harmful content and strengthen age checks.
