Malaysia is set to join a growing list of countries that want to ban social media access for children, especially those under 16 years of age.
For context, the country’s Online Safety Act received royal assent in May 2025, and it will come into effect on January 1, 2026. Under this law, it is the responsibility of social media platforms to proactively ensure that children under 16 can’t access them.
Govt-Issued ID-Based Age Verification
To prevent under-16 users on social media platforms, the Malaysian government has proposed preventive mechanisms, such as age verification through government-issued national digital IDs, including MyKad identity cards, passports, or MyDigital IDs.
Malaysia’s Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil also highlighted that the government has increased the minimum age to access social media from previously suggested 13 years to 16 years. And referring to the age verification obligations of social media companies, Fadzil said, “We expect all platform providers to be ready to implement eKYC by next year.”
It is important to note that in other parts of the world, social media platforms also use other age estimation mechanisms, instead of solely depending on government-issued ID-based verification – which can effectively remove anonymity online.
For example, complying with the UK’s Online Safety Act, music streaming platform Spotify said that it will use facial recognition technology (FRT) for age verification through the services from a digital identification company, Yoti – which claims that it will delete the user-related facial data after verification.
However, the FRT-based mechanism might not always be accurate and can also have racial or gender biases. So, in such cases, even though users can submit their official IDs to verify their age, unverified users will be at risk of having their accounts deleted.
Where else are children under 16 prohibited from using social media?
Previously, the Australian government proposed plans to ban children under 16 years from accessing social media. And in October 2025, Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat announced that they would comply with the country’s under-16 ban on social media platforms, which becomes effective Down Under on December 10.
Importantly, when it comes to the impending ban in Australia, it is pertinent to note that prohibiting children from accessing social media could lead to less regulation of platforms and expose them to more dangerous content. Moreover, such bans risk cutting children off from support groups, and other community support systems, as well as online opportunities for self-expression through art, music, and other forms.
And while Australia became the first country to ideate a ban on social media access for children under 16, the UK followed a similar path with its Online Safety Act. As the name suggests, the Act was passed to make the internet safer by implementing safety measures to protect…
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