FOR many parents, the danger of the digital world is not just a stranger in a chatroom – it’s the subtle daily erosion of their child’s habits, focus and health.
With the nation implementing the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2025 since Jan 1 this year, the conversation is shifting from simple screen time limits to a deeper understanding of how digital ecosystems impact the physical world of homes and classrooms.
Under the ONSA framework, online safety is positioned as an ecosystem-wide effort, acknowledging that while parents and teachers are the first line of defence, they cannot be expected to handle the issues created by social media alone.
By shifting the narrative from enforcement to collective responsibility, the government aims to bridge the gap between digital regulation and real-world parenting.
The reward loop
One of the most insidious risks facing minors today is not just what they see online, but how they are manipulated or influenced into behaving.
Hafzan Husien Mohamad, a father of seven from Shah Alam, has witnessed firsthand how the “reward loop” of modern social media and gaming platforms can override a child’s basic needs.
He shared how one of his children became so enamoured by the digital economy of Roblox that she began skipping meals at school and lying about where her pocket money went.
While primarily a game creation system, Roblox is often described as a social platform, particularly for youth.
It functions as a virtual hangout where users communicate, follow friends and create content.
Status in this virtual world is often measured by “Robux”, the platform’s digital currency.
Hafzan noted that because of this, his daughter began coordinating with a network of school friends to pool money and bypass parental permission just to purchase Robux.
“When my daughter found out that she could buy Robux at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, it created a lot of problems for us,” he said.
“She would use up all of her pocket money just to get it. Luckily, we managed to catch her in the act but by that time, she had already spent a lot of money.”
This is a textbook example of the reward loop in action – where platform design, social media advertisements and in-app purchases converge to exploit a child’s developing impulse control.
Social media ads and influencer content on platforms like TikTok or YouTube often exacerbate the issue by promoting limited-edition “skins” or virtual items from these popular online gaming platforms.
For a child under 16, whose impulse control and risk judgement are still developing, these are not just games but sophisticated marketing ecosystems designed to create a psychological “need”.
The result is a cycle of psychological and financial dependency that could lead to children ignoring their basic needs just to maintain their digital social standing.
“The worrying part is that when it involves money, that’s when they (children) start to bluff or lie to their parents to get what they want,” said Hafzan.
Literal interpretations
Apart from social media design, which targets children through advertisements, the risks of unfiltered content also pose threats to young children, especially those who are neurodivergent.
Hafzan, who has a child on the autism spectrum, highlighted a unique danger – the misinterpretation of satirical or playful content.
He pointed to the viral Dumb Ways To Die campaign, a cartoonish song originally intended as a safety public service announcement.
The song’s lyrics and accompanying music video feature depictions of cartoon characters engaging in reckless acts like “setting their hair on fire” or “running across train tracks between platforms”.
While the general public sees it as a catchy, satirical tune, a child who has not fully matured may process the information literally.
“Most people think it is harmless and that it may sound ‘cute’ when he sings along to the tune but sometimes, he tries to act it out,” said Hafzan.
“That’s where the danger lies, when they try to copy what they see on social media without fully understanding the nuances behind it.”
His concern aligns with the ONSA’s objective of moving toward preventive safety measures to safeguard young children and teenagers.
By delaying full access to social media until the age of 16, the Act aims to protect the most vulnerable users from content that their developing brains might not be equipped to filter.
Classroom spillover
Digital safety risks do not only plague homes either, as they inevitably spill over into the school system.
Harrivin Rajan, a secondary school discipline teacher from Melaka, sees this aftermath of the digital world every day, highlighting a rise in cyberbullying cases.
He said that most conflicts now originate from social media and messaging platforms outside of school hours, but are only addressed when they convene at school.
“Cyberbullying does not care how old a student is – it affects children of all ages,” he said.
“When it happens, the students usually end up bringing these conflicts to school, resulting in physical fights or altercations.
“Even though the problem happens outside of school, teachers are the next adults the students face in their day-to-day, so it becomes our responsibility to manage their well-being.”
He also noted the changes he has seen in students over the years, as heightened gadget use and social media exposure have affected their ability to focus and socialise.
“From a young age, we can see how it affects them mentally and psychologically,” said Harrivin.
“Most of the students spend their whole nights on their phones or gadgets.
“Then, when they come to school in the morning without enough sleep, they lose focus in class and zone out during lessons.
“Some are so reliant on their social circles inside their phones that they lose the ability to mingle with real people. Without their phones, they tend to be very reserved – their social skills are simply not there.”
This means that if social media platforms do not act to curb manipulative ads or algorithms that promote “doom-scrolling”, the burden of care falls entirely on parents and teachers to police the Internet – a task that is virtually impossible in today’s hyperconnected digital era.
This is exactly why the ONSA was introduced: to intervene at the platform level to reduce the strain that parents and teachers have to manage.
Shared responsibility
The implementation of the ONSA acknowledges a fundamental shift in the nation’s digital landscape, as the responsibility for a child’s safety can no longer rest solely on the shoulders of individuals.
While parental controls and curfews are vital tools, they are often easily bypassed by tech-savvy minors or rendered moot by the sheer scale of the digital economy.
By introducing the 16-year-oldthreshold, the government is essentially creating a “buffer zone” that allows for a more synchronised approach to safeguarding.
This is not merely about restriction, but about restructuring the environment.
It requires platforms to move away from neutrality and toward an active duty of care, in which the safety of a minor is integrated into the app’s architecture, rather than being an afterthought for the user to manage.
Ultimately, the Act represents a national commitment to protecting the sanctity of childhood.
It ensures that while children are given the tools to thrive in a digital future, they are not left to navigate the complexities of the digital economy alone.
By fostering this ecosystem-wide readiness, Malaysia is ensuring that the Internet remains a place of discovery, not a source of hidden distress for the next generation.
