Better Dads Malaysia co-founder Jason Leong said this would be a smarter approach to regulating social media and its use than merely imposing a blanket ban on such platforms for minors.
“Legislation should compel platforms to make default settings for all Malaysian users under 18 the most restrictive possible, such as private profiles, no targeted ads and time limits,” he said in a statement.
While Leong welcomed the ban on social media for children under 16 from 2026, he said there were some concerns over the electronic verification mechanism reportedly set to be used, particularly involving data privacy.
He said there were also fears that this could lead to teens using virtual private networks, fake identification documents or private channels to access social media, which would mean the absence of regulation or parental oversight.
He suggested that the government prioritise “smart regulation”, including adopting a layered approach to verify a user’s age.
“Instead of mandating government IDs, adopt a layered approach like what Australia is exploring, including AI-based age estimation, parental control tools, and platform liability, with eKYC (electronic Know-Your-Customer) checks reserved only for specific high-risk scenarios.
“This protects privacy while still enforcing the age limit,” Leong said.
He also said schools should educate children on how to use social media responsibly rather than avoid these platforms as a whole, while enforcing clear policies on smartphone use at school to prevent students from being hooked on their gadgets.
Leong said parents offered the best form of regulation and could do so by actively engaging with their children on their “online worlds”.
He said they could also lead the way by avoiding the excessive use of their devices, and by utilising built-in parental controls on digital devices and online platforms.
“A blanket ban is a temporary fix. Digital resilience and effective communication between parents and their children, combined with corporate accountability with a whole-of-society approach, is the lasting solution,” he said.
Putrajaya aims to ban social media use for children under 16 next year to curb cross-age cybercrime and protect children from sexual predators.
This follows concerns over rising incidents of cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and discipline problems among schoolchildren, which are often linked to early, unregulated exposure to social media.
One of the mechanisms under consideration is the requirement for social media platforms to implement a registration process using official identification documents such as the MyKad, passport or MyDigital ID.