Johor bahru: Efforts to raise parents' awareness of the ban on social media accounts for children under the age of 16 will be intensified through the Safe Internet Campaign, said Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching. She emphasized that this key message would be a major focus of the government in ensuring that parents more closely monitor and guide their children's use of digital devices.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, although parents are still allowed to register digital accounts for their children, preventive measures and self-regulation at home are critical to complying with the government's current policy. Teo stated, "This is one of the key messages we want to convey to parents. The current MADANI Government policy is that children aged 16 and below should not have social media accounts. It is not just about (parents) prohibiting them, but more importantly, educating and guiding (their children)."
She further highlighted the responsibility of parents in monitoring online activities and ensuring that devices such as mobile phones or tablets provided to their children are not misused. Teo made these remarks at a press conference during the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Convention for the Safe Internet Campaign held at the Sri Tebrau Multipurpose Hall.
On the enforcement front, Teo mentioned that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would take follow-up action on any reports of misuse of accounts involving minors by submitting reports to digital platform providers for the purpose of taking down the accounts.
The fourth series of the Safe Internet Campaign in Johor today, which focused on the role of PTAs, served as the main platform to broaden understanding of the issue. The campaign roadshow is scheduled to move to Sabah in September and Sarawak in October.
Regarding the campaign's achievements, Teo noted that the programme had been implemented extensively, involving thousands of educational institutions nationwide. This includes 5,946 Sekolah Kebangsaan, 2,416 Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan, 1,285 Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina, and 524 Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil. In addition to primary and secondary schools, the campaign has also reached 68 institutions of higher learning, 67 Form Six colleges or vocational colleges, and six teacher education institutes.
Malaysia began enforcing age-verification requirements for social media account registration on June 1 under the Child Protection Code and Risk Mitigation Code, implemented by MCMC pursuant to the Online Safety Act 2025. Under these regulations, individuals under the age of 16 are not allowed to open social media accounts, and users are required to verify their identities using official documents such as the MyKad, passport, or MyDigital ID.