KULAI: Regulations on social media usage for children under 16 are expected to be enforced as early as July this year, said Teo Nie Ching.
The Deputy Communications Minister said that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will be tasked with enforcing the regulations once they are implemented.
“We have begun discussions with platform providers under the Online Safety Act.
“Currently, these discussions are at the regulatory sandbox stage to identify the best, most effective and safest way to implement these regulations.
“This proposal is expected to be implemented in the second half of this year,” she said after officiating the early schooling aid handover ceremony at SK Putra Utama here yesterday.
Meanwhile, she said her ministry has yet to receive confirmation on whether MCMC had received complaints regarding the cyberbullying issue involving national men’s doubles badminton player Toh Ee Wei.
“However, if a complaint is received, MCMC will certainly provide the necessary assistance.”
Teo urged netizens to be responsible social media users, especially when expressing opinions or criticism.
“If certain words or behaviour would not be used in face-to-face conversations, they should not be used online either. The problem with some netizens is that while they would refrain from such language or behaviour in real life, they feel there are no boundaries on the Internet,” she said.
She also urged Malaysians to continue supporting national players and athletes, especially when they face criticism or pressure.
“Sometimes their performance or achievements in certain tournaments may not meet our expectations but we must remember they are still fighting to bring honour to the country.
“We saw yesterday that they achieved victory for Malaysia.
“The most important thing is that we continue to support our national athletes,” she said.
The cyberbullying incidents involving Toh had previously raised concerns among sports fans, prompting calls for firm action to protect the mental well-being of national athletes.
The country’s top mixed doubles pair, Chen Tang Jie and Toh, displayed remarkable fighting spirit by coming back from a first-set loss to clinch the Indonesia Masters title on Sunday.
In a thrilling final at Istora Senayan, the world number four pair defeated Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje in a three-set battle, 15-21, 21-17, 21-11.
