KOTA BARU: Discussions between Malaysia and Britain on regulating social media platforms, including restricting access to users under the age of 16, have been ongoing for more than two years.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic) said the discussions and exchange of views involved the Malaysian Communi-cations and Multimedia Commis-sion (MCMC) and British communications regulator, Ofcom.
He said during the early stages of the discussions, Ofcom viewed the Malaysian government’s move through MCMC to introduce licensing requirements for social media platforms as a positive step.
“Discussions with Ofcom have indeed been ongoing, and we also welcome what has been announced by the British Prime Minister,” he told reporters during a working visit to Kelantan yesterday, Bernama reported.
Yesterday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that children under the age of 16 would be barred from accessing all major social media apps.
Elaborating further, Fahmi said the UK’s move clearly demonstrates that an increasing number of countries are beginning to adopt decisions and approaches similar to those taken by Malaysia.
He added that the latest development also serves as further proof that social media platforms are generally unsafe for children under the age of 16.
On another matter, Fahmi said a total of 79 National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI) are now fully operational across Kelantan, underscoring the important role the digital facilities play in every state constituency in the state.
“Each NADI centre is equipped with high-speed internet access and offers a range of programmes, including educational modules, school learning support, entrepreneur empowerment initiatives and training in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
