Protecting children and human dignity online

I REFER to the report “Fail the kids, get fined up to RM10mil” (The Star, May 23), highlighting the introduction of the Child Protection Code and Risk Mitigation Code. Aimed at strengthening online protections for children amid growing alarm over rising child sexual abuse material cases and mounting pressure on digital platforms to tackle harmful content more effectively, this is clearly a step in the right direction.

However, gaps have been identified and these must be addressed if enforcement and vigilance are to succeed. In particular, the family unit, as the core of any community, must play an active role in this process.

Digital governance begins at home through a twofold approach – parents should model healthy screen habits while guiding children from external rules towards independent self-control. The aim is to build digital literacy so that children can use technology responsibly even when unsupervised.

In a study titled “Navigating Digital Parenting: Malaysian Parents’ Views on Technology for Managing Children’s Screen Time”, published in the May 2026 Journal of Technology in Behavioural Science, researchers examined the views and needs of Malaysian parents from diverse cultural backgrounds regarding digital tools to reduce children’s excessive screen use.

The study highlighted a need for tools that are easier to use, more intelligent and better suited to local cultural contexts, along with stronger backing from institutions and policymakers.

While parents saw value in technology-based mediation, concerns about usability and fit within daily routines hindered adoption. For these tools to work effectively, they must be practical, dependable and aligned with real parenting needs with support from families, educators, developers and policymakers.

The key question is how effective this monitoring and governance framework will be.

Malaysia’s first dedicated AI Governance Bill is currently being drafted and is expected to be presented to the Cabinet by mid-2026. It marks a shift from voluntary guidance to enforceable obligations across the AI life cycle, including provisions addressing negligence and harm.

In this sense, it builds on the regulatory direction set by the Online Safety Act 2025.

With open-source repositories now hosting more than two million AI models – the engines behind many consumer-facing tools – comprehensive governance is a major challenge. That is why moral authorities and public institutions must be involved in building a strong and credible framework.

In this context, it is timely that Pope Leo XIV, in his first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, has renewed the call to reflect on how artificial intelligence is shaping everyday life.

Pope Leo’s call for fair access, protection of privacy, and resistance to hate, exclusion and misinformation resonates with a comprehensive governance that parents, youths and the elderly are seeking.

In the nearly 42,000-word document, he warns that a technocratic mindset can reduce both people and creation to objects of control and exploitation. It argues that AI and related technologies must be governed by ethical principles such as dignity, justice, solidarity and the common good rather than by efficiency, profit or concentrated private power.

Magnifica Humanitas does not overlook the harms of AI, including its use in weapons, its environmental impact and its potential to disrupt early childhood development and deepen dehumanisation.

At the same time, the Pope does not dismiss the benefits of technological progress. Instead, he stresses that advancement must remain rooted in the principle that artificial intelligence is created by human beings and should serve the good of humanity.

This encyclical offers much to reflect on, and I hope its spirit can guide us as we shape policy language and governance documents without losing sight of our shared humanity.

DR JUDE SELVARAJ

Ipoh