3 months ago
5
Singapore: Malaysia plans to follow Australia’s lead and ban children under the age of 16 from using certain social media sites, joining a growing list of nations closely watching how the Albanese government’s reforms work in practice when they come into effect next month.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil cited Australia’s world-first legislation when telling reporters that Malaysia intended to implement a similar ban some time next year.
Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.Credit: Getty Images
“Other countries may have their own ways, and we will look closely to find the best way to ensure that children below 16 are prohibited from using social media,” Malaysian daily The Star quoted Fahmi as saying.
Malaysia is increasingly scrutinising social media companies in response to what it claims to be a rise in online gambling and posts related to race, religion and royalty.
In regulations that came into effect in January, platforms with more than 8 million Malaysian users are subject to licensing requirements – an effort to hold them more accountable for harmful content.
Loading
Several high-profile bullying cases have also mobilised Malaysian citizens into calls for reform and an end to a perceived culture of impunity for online and real-world harassers.
Fahmi at the weekend did not list the platforms the Malaysian government wants to restrict from under-16s.
The Australian government has ordered major social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, to remove the accounts of the newly underage by December 10.
The onus will be on the social media company to ensure children under 16 cannot sign up to, or keep using, their platform. “Systemic” breaches by a platform could incur fines of up to $49.5 million.
“I genuinely, honestly, think that we are saving a generation,” Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said in this masthead on Sunday, adding it would “look really untidy for the next couple of months because all big reforms do”.
Other countries have attempted to limit young people’s exposure to social media harms, but Australia will be the first to enforce a hard ban.
Denmark and Norway are considering barring under-15s, while a French parliamentary inquiry has recommended it.
More than two dozen European ministers last month signed a Denmark-led declaration stating that “effective age verification” is an “essential tool” in mitigating online harm, though they differ on the practical methods and details.
Indonesia this year also flagged its intention to introduce a minimum age but appears to have since shifted its policy emphasis onto parental approvals and better tech company oversight. The Indonesian government has been contacted for clarification.
-with Reuters
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
Most Viewed in World
Loading
