{"id":11147,"date":"2026-04-13T13:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T05:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propp.my\/?p=11147"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T05:45:12","slug":"how-the-under-16-social-media-ban-went-global","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/how-the-under-16-social-media-ban-went-global","title":{"rendered":"How the under-16 social media ban went global"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11147\" class=\"elementor elementor-11147\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5aeaef5c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-gap-beside-yes elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-column-vertical-align-stretch\" data-id=\"5aeaef5c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6a93a47\" data-id=\"6a93a47\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39814a43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"39814a43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.12.1 - 02-04-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg font-bitter\"><address class=\"location-block\">\n<div class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg font-bitter\"><address class=\"location-block\">PETALING JAYA:<\/address>Malaysia\u2019s move to restrict social media access for those under the age of 16 reflects a broader global shift \u2014 away from relying on parents and users to manage online risks, and towards holding platforms accountable for how their systems are designed.<\/div>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Cybersecurity expert M Selvakumar of Universiti Sains Malaysia warned that by the time educational campaigns address emerging harms such as cyberbullying, sophisticated grooming tactics, or viral self\u2011harm trends, platform algorithms may already have amplified these dangers at scale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cRelying on user awareness merely manages the fallout rather than preventing the harm from occurring in the first place,\u201d he told FMT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\"><strong>From user responsibility to platform accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">He said this failure had driven a global policy reset, shifting responsibility away from users and onto technology companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cThis failure of reactive education has sparked a rapid global policy shift, moving the burden of responsibility from the user directly to tech companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cInstead of teaching children how to survive a hostile digital environment, governments are finally regulating the environment itself through mandatory \u2018safety by design\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Amnani A. Kadir, executive director of Protect and Save the Children, agreed, noting that governments were acting in quick succession because the risks are now widely recognised and shared across countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cWe are seeing rising anxiety, depression, bullying and online exploitation across borders, alongside growing awareness that both platforms and parents need stronger support and accountability,\u201d she told FMT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cIt has become a global public health problem, with much research conducted on the negative impact of (these) platforms on developing young brains.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\"><strong>Australia, the turning point<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">The shift gained momentum after Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide under-16 social media rule in December 2025. Its \u201cdelay, not ban\u201d model places accounts in quarantine until users reach the age threshold, rather than deleting them altogether.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Selvakumar said Australia\u2019s move has provided a workable template that other countries have been able to quickly adopt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cOnce one major democracy took the plunge and absorbed the initial pushback from tech lobbyists, it provided political cover for other nations, like Malaysia, to immediately follow suit without looking like global outliers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Countries such as France and Spain have explored similar age thresholds, while parts of Southeast Asia are beginning to move in the same direction with a delayed access approach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Amnani also stressed that policies must be grounded in the principle of acting in the \u201cbest interest of the child\u201d, adding that government intervention had become necessary as platforms have failed to adequately address long-standing harms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cIt means prioritising their safety, development and dignity above convenience or profit, as children are still developing and cannot be expected to manage complex digital environments designed to influence behaviour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cPlatforms have not done enough to prevent harm. In fact, they\u2019ve been hiding data on the harm to children for years. Giving children unrestricted access without supervision is like letting them drive without training,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\"><strong>Malaysia joining wider child-protection push<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Selvakumar said governments have increasingly concluded that voluntary action taken by platforms has been insufficient.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cGovernments have lost patience, concluding that companies whose business models rely on harvesting attention and serving ads will never voluntarily restrict their most impressionable user base without the threat of massive financial penalties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">Amnani said Malaysia\u2019s move should be understood as part of a wider global child-protection effort rather than a standalone restriction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg\">\u201cMalaysia is acting due to growing public health concerns. Around one in three youths show signs of addictive use, alongside rising mental health issues, cyberbullying and online exploitation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/address><\/div>\n<pre><i>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/category\/nation\/2026\/04\/13\/how-the-under-16-social-media-ban-went-global\">https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/category\/nation\/2026\/04\/13\/how-the-under-16-social-media-ban-went-global<\/a><\/i><\/pre>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experts say Malaysia\u2019s move mirrors a global shift away from digital literacy and towards holding tech companies accountable for harmful design and child safety.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[27],"class_list":["post-11147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11147"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11168,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11147\/revisions\/11168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}