M'sia to ban under-16s from social media accounts by 2026

Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has said that his country will ban children under the age of 16 from having their own social media accounts by 2026.

Prohibition

Fahmi was speaking to the press at a cyber scam awareness event in Malaysia on Nov. 23.

According to the New Straits Times, Fahmi said that the Malaysian cabinet had decided to “prohibit those under 16 from having social media accounts”.

He further stated that he hoped that by 2026, “social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to prohibit those under 16 from creating accounts”.

The Malaysian government is currently reviewing how such an age limit might be implemented, and is considering similar measures, such as those passed in Australia in 2024.

Fahmi said that while different countries implemented such measures differently, Malaysia would “study which method is most suitable to ensure that those under 16 are prevented from having social media accounts”.

One such method the Malaysian government is considering is requiring electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) verification, which usually involves methods such as biometrics to verify a user’s identity.

Such eKYC methods might use government-issued documents such as MyKad, My Digital ID, or passports.

Such identification methods are being applied to an ever-growing suite of government services in Malaysia, such as the Ron 95 subsidy programme or the SARA initiative.

Early, unregulated exposure

Proposals for an under-16 social media ban have gained support in recent months following concerns about cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and discipline problems, after a spate of news stories was reported earlier in the year.

These incidents were linked to “early, unregulated exposure to social media”, Free Malaysia Today reported in October.

Malaysian parliamentarians said that studies had shown that children as young as 10 had been exposed to objectionable content, such as pornography, violence, and hate speech, “with little to no control”.

Similar concerns have been echoed in several countries, such as Australia.

Singapore’s government is also considering its own social media age limit, and in January 2025, it was engaging with Australian counterparts about their one-year trial of the social media ban.

Fahmi said he expected the ban to be implemented by next year and that he believed "that if the government, regulatory bodies, and parents all play their respective roles, we can ensure that the Internet in Malaysia is not only fast, widespread, and affordable, but most importantly, safe, especially for children and families". 

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