THE nation is preparing to introduce restrictions on social media access for users under the age of 16, as authorities step up efforts to strengthen online safety for children.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the measures are expected to be implemented by the end of June, pending final review, with regulators working closely with platform providers to refine enforcement mechanisms.
“The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is currently conducting a regulatory sandbox with social media platforms to identify mechanisms currently used by service providers.
“Secondly, we want to standardise the mechanism. We are not looking at just ‘age assurance’, but ‘age verification’, as Malaysia’s legal framework differs in that we have official government documents such as the MyKad,” he told reporters after attending the ministry’s monthly assembly today.
Fahmi said further discussions were held with social media companies in Singapore on April 10, with platforms now reviewing the proposals before presenting their findings.
“They are currently reviewing the matter and will present it to me, possibly within the next week. We will then decide, and we hope to implement the restrictions around June or July,” he said.
Several platforms have indicated readiness to comply, with the government aiming to introduce a minimum age requirement of 16 for new account registrations under a controlled regulatory framework.
The move reflects a growing global trend to curb minors’ exposure to harmful online content, following similar measures introduced in countries such as Australia.
At the same time, Meta has expanded safety features for teenage users on Instagram in Malaysia, introducing enhanced protections and stricter content controls.
In a statement, the company said users under 18 are automatically placed under updated “13+” content settings, limiting exposure to potentially inappropriate material unless parental permission is granted.
The changes are designed to align with age-appropriate standards similar to films rated for audiences aged 13 and above.
"Teenagers may occasionally encounter suggestive content or coarse language similar to such films on Instagram, but we will continue working to ensure this remains rare," the company said.
Meta added that the updated Teen Accounts include a stricter “Limited Content” option, enabling parents to further control what their children can view, alongside enhanced safeguards that reflect parental feedback and established content rating standards.
"Beyond existing policies that hide or restrict recommendations involving sexual content, disturbing imagery or adult material such as tobacco or alcohol sales, our updated policies go further.
"This includes hiding or not recommending posts containing coarse language, certain risky activities, and additional content that could encourage harmful behaviour, such as posts featuring drug-related paraphernalia," the statement said.
The company said it has also improved its technology to better identify and restrict age-inappropriate content, including limiting teens from following accounts that frequently share such material and strengthening search filters to block sensitive topics such as suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, alcohol and violent content.
Teen users will also be prevented from accessing restricted material through recommendations, feeds, stories and direct messages, as part of a phased rollout expected to be fully implemented in Malaysia within a month.
The combined regulatory push and platform-level safeguards signal a broader shift towards tighter oversight of youth engagement online, as Malaysia seeks to balance digital innovation with stronger protections for younger users. - April 16, 2026
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