JOHOR BARU: The move to ban children under 16 from accessing social media is a timely and much-needed step to protect children, say parents here.
The move, anticipated to come into effect on Jan 1, is particularly vital at this time, as the Internet is inundated with violent and sexual content, including material generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Personal assistant R. Chitra, 46, emphasised the importance of shielding young children from social media content that is intended for adults.
“It is important for them to embrace themselves as children, and they should be given guidance on enjoying their childhood instead of rushing into being adults and consuming content that is not suitable for them.
“There is just too much inappropriate content for children online, and we should not allow them to be exposed to all of that,” she said in an interview.
Chitra said she has already barred her two sons, aged 13 and 16, from having direct access to social media accounts.
“I have created social media accounts for them where we can share some of their accomplishments and experiences, but they do not have direct access to the accounts.
“I am the one administering these accounts. So, in a way, they are still somewhat on social media but under very strict control,” she added.
Housewife Rebacca Wong, 29, said she is getting increasingly worried about the rising amount of AI-generated content online, especially on social media.
“Sometimes, even we as adults are unable to tell whether the content is genuine or AI-generated.
“The language used on social media is getting too vulgar, and we should not be normalising kids using such harsh words at such a young age.
“There is also violent and sexual content online, as well as predators hunting children on social media,” she said.
Management assistant Aisha Mohd Yusof, 38, said the rising number of violent cases involving children recently is another indication of the urgent need for such a ban.
“Although parents have the responsibility to monitor their children, I think some regulations from the government and social media platforms would really help too,” she said.
On Dec 4, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil announced that Malaysia is taking steps to prohibit children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Additionally, the government plans to tighten content controls for teenagers under 18. This initiative is part of the 10 subsidiary laws being drafted under the Online Safety Act 2025.
He added that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is currently developing the regulations with a specific focus on protecting children online and ensuring age-appropriate content for young users.
