Kuala lumpur: Digital platforms should be regulated not only for the accuracy of their content but also for the frequency and targeting of their delivery, said Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) chief executive officer Mediha Mahmood. She noted that while existing regulations focused largely on fact-checking and content moderation, regulators must now examine how content is amplified and repeated to specific audiences, including children.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mediha was speaking at a dialogue session titled 'Digital Dependency and Human Autonomy' at the International Regulatory Conference (IRC) 2026 here today. She said that repeated exposure to the same message across various platforms could create an 'illusory truth effect', where inaccurate content begins to appear credible simply due to frequent repetition.
Mediha cited the advertising industry as a precedent, noting that regulators already control the frequency and targeting of advertisements, an approach she believes should be extended to widely shared organic content. Referring to regulatory developments in the European Union (EU), she said regulators there have moved beyond assessing content alone to examining exposure patterns and platform design, demanding greater transparency on how algorithms decide what to amplify.
Meanwhile, the director of the Ministry of Health's digital health division, Dr A. Maheshwara Rao, said digital health tools, such as the MySejahtera application, will continue to be expanded to support national public health targets, including a nationwide weight-loss goal of 10 million kilogrammes by 2027. He said MySejahtera, which has transitioned from a COVID-19 tracking application into a national public health platform, currently holds health records for nearly 40 million individuals and features gamified fitness tracking and non-communicable disease management tools.
'Any digital health tool should close the loop. If it flags a health concern, the next step must be clear - seek help immediately,' he said, adding that human oversight, accountability and safety remained non-negotiable safeguards in digital health tools. Dr Maheshwara also noted that growing public reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) and online searches for medical information has altered patient interactions, with more individuals arriving at clinics citing self-diagnoses made through online searches or AI chatbots.
Sharing similar concerns, RELATE Malaysia founder Dr Chua Sook Ning said digital platforms were designed with addictive features such as auto-scrolling and algorithm-based recommendations to sustain user engagement, likening this to the design of addictive chemical substances. She stressed that both users and platforms shared responsibility for digital dependency, with users needing to exercise intentional discipline while platforms must be held accountable for addictive design choices.
Dr Chua added that heavy reliance on AI and social media could weaken human relationships and critical thinking, particularly among the youth, as users increasingly outsource emotional support and decision-making to machines. The dialogue session was held in conjunction with IRC 2026, which was officially launched by Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil yesterday, while the closing ceremony is to be officiated by Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching today.
The third edition of IRC, themed 'Shaping the Next Digital Era: Regulation, Resilience and Trust,' reflects Malaysia's shift towards enforcing its own policy frameworks, including the Online Safety Act 2025, which came into force on Jan 1 this year.