KUALA LUMPUR: A comprehensive review of child safety risks in online gaming is being carried out by the government which will include stakeholders’ input, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said the review is intended to provide a holistic overview of effective regulatory methods for addressing child safety risks within the online gaming ecosystem.
“While online gaming content is not a licensed service category, enforcement can still be initiated if it breaches laws like Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, or following a report by an individual.
“Actions may include requests for content removal, further investigation or applications to block related websites, subject to applicable laws.
“Nevertheless, parents must monitor their children to prevent exposure to violence, crime, gambling and virtual rewards that encourage aggressive behaviour. It must be emphasised that a device is not a babysitter, and it is certainly not a substitute for a parent,” she said at Dewan Negara yesterday, Bernama reported.
Teo was responding to Senator Norhasmimi Abdul Ghani regarding measures taken to monitor paedophilia activities in digital spaces, including social media and online gaming platforms, often used by offenders to approach minors.
Teo said enforcement against paedophilia, whether online or offline, falls under the jurisdiction of the police under laws such as the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Penal Code.
She said the Communications Ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), monitors harmful content, including the sexual exploitation of children.
“Action will be taken if the content violates Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, such as the publication of obscene or indecent material involving children.
“MCMC also conducts ongoing engagement with platform providers to ensure their services and algorithms are more transparent and comply with local regulations,” she added.
She said cooperation with the police has been strengthened through operations such as Ops Pedo 1.0 last year and Ops Pedo 2.0 this year, aimed at combating harmful and paedophilia content.
Teo said the government has also enacted the Online Safety Act 2025, which obligates licensed providers of application services, content applications and networks to regulate harmful content.
“MCMC is currently finalising the regulations and subsidiary codes under this Act, with a specific focus on online child protection and the classification of content by age suitability,” she said.
She added that MCMC is also studying methods for age and identity verification for social media users in Malaysia.
The study will assess the regulatory framework, the country’s infrastructure readiness and international implementation practices to ensure the approach is comprehensive and meets current needs.
