KUALA LUMPUR: The Communications Ministry is studying stricter enforcement measures, including a possible prohibition on social media accounts for children under the age of 13, says Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
“Most platforms already do not allow children below 13 to have an account.
“Unfortunately, if you go to any school and ask students under 13 whether they have TikTok accounts, many will say yes – and that is a breach (of terms), acknowledged even by TikTok,” he told the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (July 29).
He said the ministry is exploring ways to better enforce this age restriction, noting that protecting children online must be a shared responsibility of the government, platforms and parents.
From Jan 1, 2022 to July 15 this year, he said, a total of 1,443 pieces of harmful or extreme content involving children were taken down by service providers following requests from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
He said these removals were carried out for violations of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and platform community guidelines.
To empower teenagers in navigating today’s complex digital environment, Fahmi said the ministry is also rolling out digital literacy modules tailored for those aged 13 and above.
“These modules are to ensure our teenagers understand the information landscape they live in and the steps they need to take to stay vigilant.
“Not everything we see on social media is necessarily true,” he added.
Fahmi also encouraged greater investment and inter-agency collaboration to develop more child-friendly local content.
He cited Durioo, a local children’s content platform that has worked closely with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), as an example of efforts the government aims to support.
“I will ask Finas to look into how we can increase the volume of quality content for children, especially those aligned with our values,” he said.
