Malaysia's social media ban for those under 16 may come as early as July

Malaysia's social media ban for those under 16 may come into effect as early as July, the country's deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching said on Monday (Jan 26). 

The ban, aimed at ensuring youth are not exposed to inappropriate content online or being exploited, is part of Malaysia's Online Safety Act, Malay Mail reported.

Speaking at a ceremony at a primary school in Johor, Teo said that the government has begun discussions with platform providers.

"We are now in the regulatory sandbox stage to identify the best, most effective and safest way to conduct age verification," she said.

She added: "We expect it to be implemented in the second half of the year."

The government is also aiming for all social media platforms to implement digital user identity verification for those in this age group by the end of the second quarter of the year, The New Straits Times reported.

This comes after Malaysian badminton doubles player Toh Ee Wei received "excessive online criticism" over her performances at the Indonesian Masters tournament last week. Netizens also targeted her parents.

Other Malaysian badminton players Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi also received similar criticism for poor performance, with Teo even receiving physical threats, The Star reported.

Addressing such instances, the deputy communications minister said she had yet to receive confirmation whether any complaints about cyberbullying had been lodged.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com