HER Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, has called for urgent and sustained attention to the safety of children and teenagers in the online environment, warning that unchecked exposure could create a highly toxic digital space with long-term harmful effects.
“I was deeply affected by the death of a female student last year who was stabbed at school and am concerned about the impact of the online environment, which contains various threats to the mental health of society, especially young people.
“As such, serious attention and action must be taken by the authorities and society to protect the younger generation from safety threats in the online space,” Her Majesty said in a statement posted on the Facebook page of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
The Queen made these remarks following an audience with a delegation from the Oxford Alumni Malaysia Club at Istana Negara yesterday, during which online safety issues were a key topic of discussion.
Her Majesty also expressed concern over the growing prevalence of mental health challenges among young people, emphasising the importance of providing constructive support to prevent social isolation and vulnerability to harmful online content.
In line with these concerns, Raja Zarith Sofiah recently launched the Ilham Seni Diraja programme, a pilot initiative in Kuala Lumpur involving 200 school students from B40 households.
The programme aims to offer creative and artistic opportunities to support positive mental health, foster resilience, and reduce the risk of children and teenagers being drawn into negative social influences.
Through these efforts, the Queen stressed the need for both society and government authorities to collaborate actively in creating safer digital environments and promoting the well-being of the younger generation. - February 14, 2026
