PETALING JAYA: Worries that children may be exposed to online sexual predators and concerns about the impact of social media on young school students are among the reasons experts say the government should enforce stricter social media regulations for the younger generation.
They were commenting on Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching’s announcement that regulations on social media usage for children under 16 are expected to be enforced as early as July this year.
She said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would enforce the regulations once implemented.
She added that discussions with platform providers were ongoing under the Online Safety Act to identify the best ways to implement the regulations.
Mental health expert Assoc Prof Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan said excessive social media use could also affect young users’ emotional well-being, such as falling into depression.
“Children may constantly check their phones, wondering who liked their story or reacted to their posts.
“This can make them measure how much attention they receive, which may lead to feelings of insecurity and low confidence,” she said.
“Another damaging factor is that when parents expose their kids to social media, they are opening two ways where children are reaching out and outsiders reaching into your child’s ‘room’ (personal space). These are predators.”
Anasuya noted that in the end, parents play the ultimate role in teaching their children about safety when using social media.
One way, she suggested, is for parents to make a child’s room social media free.
“At night, your child can be speaking to somebody who is disguised as your child’s age but in reality, that predator is 45 years old.
“Children under 14 should not have computers or the Internet in their bedroom after bedtime.
“Computers at home should be shared with everyone and be visible to guidance at home. Even game content should be monitored to look out for the age limit, as some games include adult content.
“Parents should watch their kids online and keep personal details like addresses and phone numbers private to avoid public reach, including stopping them from creating channels to become popular,” she noted.
While supporting government regulations, Anasuya said it is the family’s role to ensure children obey them.
Malaysian Association for Education secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah, who also supports the government’s move, said this helps protect children from harmful online content, including extreme ideologies and self-harm material.
“Limiting access can reduce problems such as cyberbullying and online exploitation too,” he said.
“The age restriction aims to shield them from these risks while supporting better mental and health development.”
Hamidi also pointed out that social media use affected students’ learning and classroom focus by reducing sustained attention further.
“The frequent notifications and habit of switching tasks will shorten their attention span,” he said, noting that social media can be resourceful at times but should be regulated.
However, he acknowledged that children who have access to gadgets would certainly be unhappy with this regulation.
“Some children might show tantrums of dissatisfaction or feel helpless. They might also give the excuse of needing to use social media to help them finish school projects.
“While parents should spend more time with the children, teachers should also instil in them the need to be responsible and disciplined when it comes to social media,” he said.
Once social media accounts are banned, schools can create more face-to-face opportunities for engagement, Hamidi suggested.
“There can be daily or weekly advisory or homeroom meetings for students to check in with teachers and peers.
“Schools can also have safer school-based digital alternatives, such as school-hosted communication platforms like class apps with teacher moderation, no public sharing, and strict privacy controls,” said Hamidi.
In addition, he emphasised that schools should strengthen social and emotional learning by teaching empathy, conflict resolution, and communication skills directly in the curriculum once social media is banned for those below the age of 16.
