The policy, set to take effect in mid-2026, will require social media platforms to bar anyone under age 16 from managing accounts independently. The restriction will also cover those in the same age group who already have their own accounts.
The push gained momentum after Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide under-16 restriction in December 2025.
Under the Australian “delay, not ban” model, rather than delete an account, it is placed in quarantine until the user reaches the age threshold.
Countries such as France and Spain have explored similar approaches, while parts of Southeast Asia are beginning to move in the same direction.
FMT takes a look at how the rules proposed for Malaysia will work, what drives the policy, and the challenges surrounding its implementation.
The Malaysian model
Malaysia will not impose a full ban on social media access to under-16s. Those in the affected age group will still be allowed access to social media, but it will be under the supervision of their parents.
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil had earlier said that the objective is to reduce the risk of contacts with strangers and engagement in harmful interactions.
As in the rest of the world, the policy is driven by a growing concern over the harm on young users caused by cyberbullying, child grooming, and harmful content.
The social and monetary costs of unsavoury online activities are extensive. From January to November 2025, Malaysians lost roughly RM2.7 billion to online scams.
Over and above that, authorities seized nearly 900,000 child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files under Ops Pedo 2.0 from Sept 23 to Sept 30, 2025.
Separately, 1,578 requests were made from 2022 to early 2026 to remove highly offensive content involving children, with 96% successfully taken down.
Dr Ahmad Rostam Zin, a psychiatrist and member of the Malaysia Psychiatric Association, said the move reflects a broader shift in how such risks are understood.
“This is not merely an age restriction. It is a public health–oriented digital governance shift, treating online harm as a systemic issue rather than an individual behavioural problem,” he said, adding that those under 16 are particularly vulnerable due to their developmental stage.
“These concerns are primary catalysts for the policy. In fact, the decision is largely justified as a child protection and mental health intervention, rather than a moral or disciplinary one.”
How it works
While Malaysia has yet to release the full details of the ban, cybersecurity expert M Selvakumar of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the framework could take a comparable approach, combining identity verification with parental oversight.
He said parent-managed accounts are typically tied to a verified adult identity, with the parent responsible for supervising the child’s activity.
“The child’s account is essentially ‘delegated’ by a ‘verified’ adult rather than independently created,” he explained further.
According to Selvakumar, the ban could include restrictions to only approved contacts and messages, and monitoring of usage. However, he cautioned, their effectiveness will depend largely on parental involvement.
Execution hurdles
One of the biggest challenges to the implementation of the under-16 restriction will be verifying a user’s age.
To overcome this, the government is expected to rely on systems such as MyDigital ID and electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) checks.
Selvakumar said existing identification systems offer the most immediate pathway. “The eKYC using MyKad is the most immediately feasible route for Malaysian users, since MyKad is near-universally held.”
Several key details remain unclear, including what penalties may apply for non-compliance and how enforcement will be carried out across different platforms.
Platforms are expected to take on a more active role under the Online Safety Act 2025, which requires companies to implement safeguards to limit children’s exposure to harmful content and interactions.
The legislation introduces specific obligations for platforms that host or distribute user-generated content, with child safety as a core pillar of the new framework.
However, experts say, the effectiveness of these measures will depend heavily on platform cooperation and parental involvement.
For families, the changes are likely to mean greater parental involvement in managing children’s online activity, from setting up accounts to supervising usage.
Malaysia’s move places it among a growing number of countries redefining how children access social media, as governments shift towards stricter digital safety frameworks.