{"id":379,"date":"2026-06-01T15:45:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T15:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379"},"modified":"2026-06-01T15:45:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T15:45:52","slug":"malaysia-bans-social-media-accounts-for-children-under-16-but-questions-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379","title":{"rendered":"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) \u2014 Malaysia<\/span> on Monday began enforcing rules barring millions of children younger than 16 from having social media accounts, joining a growing global effort<\/span> to tighten safety protections. Not all families approved, and critics raised concerns about data protection and potential surveillance.<\/p>\n

Read more De la Espriella takes spotlight in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown<\/a><\/p>\n

Social media platforms with at least 8 million users in Malaysia, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, must implement age-verification systems and block users under 16 from creating accounts.<\/p>\n

Malaysia\u2019s Communications and Multimedia Commission said age verification for existing users will be rolled out over the next six months. Users identified as under 16 will have a month to download or transfer data, including photos and videos, before restrictions or other actions are applied.<\/p>\n

Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million). Parents whose children manage to bypass the law will not be penalized.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The government said the measures are aimed at protecting children from harmful content, cyberbullying and platform features designed to encourage excessive use.<\/p>\n

Countries including Australia,<\/span>Brazil<\/span> and Indonesia<\/span> have introduced or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children\u2019s access to social media. Others including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark,<\/span> Thailand and South Korea are studying or developing similar approaches.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Malaysia\u2019s regulator said the rules are not intended to prevent children from accessing digital technology. Platforms are required to improve user safety, discourage excessive use and take action against underage accounts and harmful content.<\/p>\n

Technology companies have yet to describe how they will comply.<\/p>\n

Clara Koh, Meta\u2019s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, has cautioned that Malaysia\u2019s under-16 ban could backfire by driving teenagers away from protected apps and into unregulated corners of the internet.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Governments around the world face pressure to address concerns about social media\u2019s impact on children\u2019s mental health and online safety. In March, a U.S. jury ordered Meta and YouTube<\/span> to pay millions of dollars in damages in a case alleging that platform design features contributed to harm suffered by a young user.<\/p>\n

Malaysian families have varying views<\/h2>\n

In Kuala Lumpur, Saravanan Ganasan and Jayaradha Veerasamy, whose children are 12 and 15, said they approve of the changes. They already had banned their kids from using social media, believing minors lack the psychological capacity to cope with it.<\/p>\n

Devices are kept out of bedrooms, screen time is limited to common areas and their son is not allowed to lock his phone with a password.<\/p>\n

\u201cExposure is what we fear,\u201d Saravanan said. \u201cThe wrong kind of exposure will do damage to the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more 50 years on, Fela\u2019s legendary \u2018Zombie\u2019 album still resonates in Nigeria<\/a><\/p>\n

Aadhavan Saravanan, 15, said he believes he would be addicted to social media if allowed full freedom. \u201cSocial media is, like, a luxury and it\u2019s not a necessity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The couple said the restrictions have forced their children to develop offline life skills. Aadhavan reads books in a backyard mango tree and repairs broken household appliances, while their daughter cooks and does crafts.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cA lot of parents are very scared that children get bored,\u201d Jayaradha said. \u201cBut boredom is actually very good because they start thinking out of the box.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Shaun Hew, in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Cheras, said the new restrictions go too far.<\/p>\n

Hew believes social media allow his kids to spend time productively, as long as there is proper adult oversight. His 11-year-old son uses platforms to learn cooking and his daughter, 14, uses YouTube for exam preparation.<\/p>\n

He worries a sudden cutoff could cause teenagers to rebel and find unregulated ways to bypass internet blocks.<\/p>\n

Some express concerns over privacy and safety<\/h2>\n

Some critics said Malaysia\u2019s decision could increase the risks of data privacy breaches and expand state surveillance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very much following the trend, but in a way that is raising alarms due to requiring a government ID for age verification,\u201d said Benjamin Loh, social science lecturer at Monash University in Malaysia. He said social media companies could end up storing sensitive personal data without sufficient safeguards.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Loh said the decision also could unintentionally affect stateless individuals, undocumented residents and members of marginalized communities including LGBTQ+ people who rely on anonymity online for safety.<\/p>\n

Without penalties on parents, families can easily bypass the law by creating accounts for their children, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a major gap that, unless regulators are willing to fix, will result in the law having little effect in stopping children from using social media,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read more Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malaysia has started enforcing rules to prevent children under 16 from having social media accounts. This decision is part of a global effort to enhance safety protections. Platforms like Facebook and TikTok must implement age-verification systems. Existing users identified as under 16 will have a month to manage their data before restrictions apply. Companies that fail to comply face hefty fines. The government aims to protect children from harmful content and cyberbullying. Critics worry about data privacy and potential surveillance. Families have mixed reactions, with some supporting the changes and others concerned about their impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMalaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain - Top Moving Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain - Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Malaysia has started enforcing rules to prevent children under 16 from having social media accounts. This decision is part of a global effort to enhance safety protections. Platforms like Facebook and TikTok must implement age-verification systems. Existing users identified as under 16 will have a month to manage their data before restrictions apply. Companies that fail to comply face hefty fines. The government aims to protect children from harmful content and cyberbullying. Critics worry about data privacy and potential surveillance. Families have mixed reactions, with some supporting the changes and others concerned about their impact.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-01T15:45:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"headline\":\"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T15:45:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379\"},\"wordCount\":789,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"World News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379\",\"name\":\"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain - Top Moving Pros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T15:45:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"FILE - Two Malay girls check a mobile phone at a fabric installation decoration at Kwai Chai Hong, the Chinatown area in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (AP Photo\\\/Vincent Thian, File)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=379#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top Moving Pros\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain - Top Moving Pros","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain - Top Moving Pros","og_description":"Malaysia has started enforcing rules to prevent children under 16 from having social media accounts. This decision is part of a global effort to enhance safety protections. Platforms like Facebook and TikTok must implement age-verification systems. Existing users identified as under 16 will have a month to manage their data before restrictions apply. Companies that fail to comply face hefty fines. The government aims to protect children from harmful content and cyberbullying. Critics worry about data privacy and potential surveillance. Families have mixed reactions, with some supporting the changes and others concerned about their impact.","og_url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379","og_site_name":"Top Moving Pros","article_published_time":"2026-06-01T15:45:52+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"headline":"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain","datePublished":"2026-06-01T15:45:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379"},"wordCount":789,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["World News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379","name":"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain - Top Moving Pros","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-01T15:45:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5377c010bc6395adf94956ff927747fa-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"FILE - Two Malay girls check a mobile phone at a fabric installation decoration at Kwai Chai Hong, the Chinatown area in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (AP Photo\/Vincent Thian, File)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=379#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/","name":"Top Moving Pros","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/topmovingpross.com"],"url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}