Malaysia Plans to Ban Social Media Use for Children Under 16 From Next Year

Malaysia is preparing to ban social media use for children under the age of 16 starting next year, amid growing global concern over online safety and the impact of digital platforms on minors.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Sunday that the government is reviewing measures adopted by Australia and several other countries as it moves toward imposing the age restriction. If implemented, the ban would aim to protect children from cyberbullying, financial scams and online sexual exploitation.

“I hope that by next year, we will be able to enforce a ban on social media account creation for those under 16,” Fahmi told reporters.

Concerns over the effects of social media on children’s health and safety have risen worldwide. Tech giants including TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) are currently facing lawsuits in the United States, where they are accused of contributing to a mental health crisis among teenagers.

Australia is set to deactivate accounts belonging to users under 16 starting next month. Meanwhile, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece are jointly testing new age-verification app models.

In Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s neighbor Indonesia announced plans in January to impose a minimum age requirement for social media usage but later opted for more flexible regulations. The country has instead instructed tech companies to strengthen content filtering and enforce stricter age-verification mechanisms.