PETALING JAYA: Strengthened regulations over the online space will protect children’s well-being and give families greater confidence in guiding the responsible use of technology, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
She said strengthened regulatory measures play a significant role in enhancing child protection, noting increased exposure to various online risks including sexual exploitation, scams, cyberharassment or exposure to indecent or dangerous content.
“At the same time, the ministry will continue implementing comprehensive child-protection initiatives including online safety awareness programmes and enforcing existing laws alongside strategic cooperation with relevant agencies.
“Child safety is a joint responsibility,” she said in a statement yesterday.
This comes as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced that all Internet messaging and social media service providers with eight million or more users in Malaysia which are subject to the licensing framework under the Applications Service Provider Class (ASP(C)) licence, will be deemed registered as an ASP(C) licensee through a dispensation of formalities under section 46A of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Deeming Provision).
In a related statement, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department said the move is significant in completing implementation of, and strengthening, the core objectives of the Online Safety Act 2025, which comes into force on Jan 1.
“This reflects the principle of accountability which has become the core of the Act, ensuring service providers have clear duties when it comes to protecting users, especially vulnerable groups like children from cyberbullying and more.
“The move also factors in the balance between online safety and freedom of speech,” it said yesterday.
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said MCMC’s initiative is an important step towards strengthening digital platform governance.
“The police will continue to work closely with MCMC and other agencies to ensure that the new mechanisms currently being finalised can enhance the effectiveness of investigations, strengthen information sharing and expedite action against harmful content or activities in the digital space.
“We remain committed to carrying out enforcement in accordance with existing legal provisions and to enhancing internal readiness to ensure that the digital security framework to be introduced can be effectively supported,” he said in a statement.
The IGP also said the police force is confident that the framework’s implementation will bolster digital protection for the public and increase cooperation between the government and digital platform providers.
“This step also serves as an important foundation for safeguarding the safety of future generations, especially children and families, within an increasingly challenging cyberlandscape,” he added.
