KUALA LUMPUR – The Communications Ministry is considering a partnership with the Education Ministry to enhance awareness about online security and implement specific restrictions on social media account ownership for children under 13-years-old.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said there was a need to strengthen guidelines and restrictions regarding social media account ownership by children, citing instances of violations of platform guidelines.
“This concern has been raised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) with various social media platforms, requiring collaboration between MCMC and the government.
“I urge parents to actively monitor their children’s social media accounts, especially those under 13, as they are susceptible to trends and still undergoing significant mental development.
“I have proposed further discussions on this matter with the Education Ministry, aiming for a joint effort in the coming one or two weeks,” he stated after the Back to School programme with MCMC and Shoppee at the Seri Pantai People’s Housing Project today.
Also present were MCMC state coordination division chief Bukhari Yahya and MCMC Federal Territories director Hanita Izam Abdul Rahman.
A total of 200 recipients in the Lembah Pantai constituency, for which Fahmi is MP, each received a school voucher worth RM100.
Asked whether his ministry would propose fixed guidelines regarding social media account usage for children under 13, Fahmi said that the current focus was on awareness campaigns.
“We hope to recommend awareness campaigns, involving collaboration with the Parents and Teachers’ Associations and social media platform operators.
“This includes corporate social responsibility initiatives to enhance awareness among children, helping them understand the risks of early-stage social media use. We also aspire to discuss and find long-term solutions in the next two weeks,” he added.
Simultaneously, Fahmi highlighted the necessity for additional measures by social media platforms to ensure the online safety of children.
He expressed concerns about the potential misuse of online messaging for the distribution of explicit content, paedophilia, drugs and online gambling among children.
Acknowledging efforts by platforms like TikTok, Fahmi stressed the need for further actions to ensure safety, emphasising that age verification for new account registrations requires improvement.
He also mentioned his recent meeting with Unicef to discuss online safety awareness campaigns for teachers, parents, and students.
“I hope to implement these initiatives in collaboration with Unicef and the Education Ministry through upcoming discussions,” Fahmi said. – March 9, 2024
