Malaysia blocks social media accounts for under-16s

A new regulation aimed at preventing children under the age of 16 from opening social media accounts has come into force in Malaysia.

Under the new rules, social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are required to implement age-verification systems, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission announced that, although the regulation takes effect immediately, social media companies will be granted a transition period to fully implement the required age-verification mechanisms.

The measure is intended to protect young people from harmful online content and is expected to affect around 8 million social media users in the country.

Social media companies that fail to comply with the regulation could face fines of up to $2.5 million.

Australia became the first country in the world to implement legislation banning access to social media platforms for users under 16, with the law taking effect in December 2025. Indonesia followed with a similar measure in March, becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to introduce such restrictions.

Several European countries, including Poland, Denmark, France, Spain, Greece, and the United Kingdom, are also preparing to introduce similar measures.

Photo: Chat GPT