Kuala lumpur: Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, calls for the safety of children and teenagers in the online space to be given serious attention by both authorities and society, cautioning that it risks becoming a highly toxic environment with potentially lasting harmful effects if left unchecked.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Her Majesty also expressed concern over the growing prevalence of mental health issues that are increasingly showing negative impacts, particularly on children and teenagers. She cited the tragic incident of a female student who was stabbed at school last year as a poignant reminder of the escalating threats that young people face, both in physical and online environments.

Her Majesty said, "I was deeply affected by the death of a female student last year who was stabbed at school and am concerned about the impact of the online environment, which contains various threats to the mental health of society, especially young people." She emphasized the urgent need for serious attention and action by the authorities and society to protect the younger generation from safety threats in the online space.

The Queen's remarks were made after she granted an audience to a delegation from the Oxford Alumni Malaysia Club at Istana Negara, where online safety issues were a key topic of discussion.

In a bid to address these concerns, Her Majesty recently launched the Ilham Seni Diraja programme, a pilot project involving 200 school students in Kuala Lumpur. The initiative aims to provide B40 students with constructive artistic avenues to support positive mental health and prevent them from falling into social ills.