The government expects to enforce a minimum age limit of 16 for social media use as early as July. The measure aims to protect children from online exploitation and inappropriate content.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the initiative is currently in the regulatory sandbox phase. This stage is designed to test and refine implementation methods before full enforcement begins.
The measure is being carried out under the Online Safety Act (Onsa). Discussions are ongoing with social media platform providers to determine the most effective approach.
Regulatory Sandbox and Implementation Timeline
“Under Onsa, we have begun discussions with platform providers. We are now in the regulatory sandbox stage to identify the best, most effective and safest way to conduct age verification. At present, we are still in the discussion and planning phase with the platform providers,” Teo said.
She added, “This is our target for this year. As was announced by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, we expect it to be implemented in the second half of the year.”
The government is reportedly targeting all social media platforms to implement digital user identity verification (eKYC) by the end of the second quarter of 2026. This system is intended to enforce the minimum age requirement for account registration.
Comment on Cyberbullying Incident
When asked about a recent cyberbullying incident involving national badminton player Toh Ee Wei, Teo said she had not yet received confirmation from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on whether any formal complaints had been lodged regarding the matter.
Early Schooling Assistance Allocation
Teo also commented on the Early Schooling Assistance programme during the event in Kulai. She said the Madani Government, through the Education Ministry, has allocated RM800 million for the initiative this year.
The assistance is expected to benefit approximately 5.2 million students from Year One to Form Six nationwide.
Teo, who is the member of Parliament for Kulai, provided figures for Johor state. She said 586,153 students in Johor received the assistance, involving a total allocation of RM87.9 million.
“For the Kulai district alone, 58,264 students benefited, involving RM8.7 million,” she said.
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