Following Australia’s implementation and enforcement of a similar ban that goes into effect next month, Malaysia intends to prohibit children under the age of 16 from using social media beginning next year.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil stated on Sunday that the Malaysian government is thinking of mandating apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok to confirm users’ ages, mirroring Australia’s strategy. He continued by saying that social media businesses may utilise a system called electronic Know Your Customer, or eKYC, to confirm identities using biometric authentication and government-issued papers like identification cards.
He reiterated that platform providers are anticipated to introduce electronic know your customer (eKYC) identification verification in 2026 as part of the government’s objectives to enhance children’s online safety, stating, “We expect all platforms to implement this by next year.”
The timing and specifics of the ban are still unknown, but Malaysia’s action coincides with several experts’ warnings about the negative impacts of social media on both adults and children. The nation would be among the first to organise such a broad operation, along with Denmark and Australia.
In Malaysia, where there are over 8 million children under the age of sixteen, social media has recently come under close scrutiny. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed last month that technology contributed to the death of a 16-year-old girl who was stabbed 200 times by a 14-year-old male classmate.
Closer to home in Johor, a nine-year-old boy had been playing the online game Roblox compulsively before allegedly attacking his younger brother, aged six on 27th October 2025, at Kampung Parit Nipah Laut, Parit Raja in Batu Pahat.
“Preliminary findings suggest the injuries were inflicted by the boy’s nine-year-old sibling. The motive is still under investigation, but we discovered that he had been playing Roblox excessively on his mobile phone,” said Johor Police Chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad.
According to him, the youngster had amassed around a million points in the game until his younger brother unintentionally broke his phone, which prevented him from moving forward. The boy claims he started having hallucinations that night, feeling as though he was being told to hurt his family. He then took a knife and attacked his younger brother, currently in stable condition after being treated at the Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital.
The government announced in January that social media and internet messaging services will no longer be able to operate in Malaysia without a license. The authorities said that the action will assist reduce child sex offenses, cyberbullying, and scams.
Instead of encouraging screen time for young children, Fahmi advised parents to promote outside activities. He went on to say that parents ought to keep an eye on their kids’ use of technology.
