Fahmi: No ban, but under-16s may need parental supervision for social media accounts

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — The government, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is still conducting engagement sessions with various stakeholders before enforcing a minimum age limit of 16 for social media accounts.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the initiative aimed to provide briefings, gather feedback and address concerns from multiple parties, while ensuring the government’s primary objective of safeguarding children and families online is achieved.

“MCMC is indeed holding continuous engagement sessions, and I believe many more should be invited to receive briefings and share their views.

“The government’s intention is not to restrict freedom of expression, especially among children, but the main objective of this effort is to ensure their safety and that of their families on the internet,” he told reporters after officiating the Datum Conference held in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival 2026 at The Linc KL here yesterday.

He also clarified misunderstandings regarding the implementation, explaining that children would still be able to access the internet or social media platforms, but under parental supervision.

“We want to prevent children under the age of 16 from opening their own accounts. However, if parents create the accounts and monitor their usage, that is not an issue.

“For example, applications like YouTube, they can still watch content there. We just do not want them to have personal accounts that would allow sexual predators or paedophiles to contact them directly,” he said.

He added that the move was also supported by Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department, which shared concerns over the serious risks faced by children with unsupervised accounts.

Fahmi also drew attention to several serious cybercrime cases, including a sexual case in Sabah involving a 15-year-old victim who met a predator via TikTok, as well as cyberbullying incidents that led to loss of life, such as the case involving the late Rajeswary Appahu, also known as Esha.

On possible opposition, he expressed readiness to engage with any parties to understand alternative perspectives and proposals.

“I am prepared to meet any parties and have instructed the MCMC team to consider aspects that need to be taken into account in the implementation, but our priority remains the creation of a safe internet space,” he said. — Bernama