Malaysia Enforces Social Media Ban For Under-16s Under New Law

Malaysia began enforcing mandatory age verification for social media platforms on Monday, blocking children under 16 from creating new accounts and requiring all existing users to confirm their identities using official government documents.

The measures take effect under the Online Safety Act 2025 and are being implemented by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission through two regulatory frameworks. The Child Protection Code requires platforms to adopt a safety-by-design approach, while the Risk Mitigation Code mandates risk assessments, content governance and a content labelling mechanism.

Users must verify their age using Malaysia's national identity card, the MyKad, a passport or the government's MyDigital ID system. Platforms must also reconfigure their algorithms and content recommendation systems to limit users' exposure to harmful material, and paid advertising will be restricted to verified account holders.

Platforms that fail to comply with the Risk Mitigation Code face fines of up to 10mn ringgit, equivalent to roughly $2.5mn. The MCMC said an implementation grace period would be granted to allow service providers time to come into compliance.

The rollout follows a series of violent incidents that Malaysian authorities have linked to social media and online gaming. In October last year, a 14-year-old boy stabbed a female classmate to death near Kuala Lumpur, with police finding a handwritten note referencing American school shootings, Japanese dystopian anime and gaming terminology.

In the same month, a six-year-old in Johor was allegedly attacked by his nine-year-old brother after accidentally deleting progress on the gaming platform Roblox. Eight teenagers in Terengganu and Malacca states were separately arrested in connection with two gang rape cases in which suspects were accused of filming and circulating the assaults online.

Before Malaysia, in December last year, Australia introduced one of the world's most stringent bans, prohibiting children aged 16 and under from holding accounts — a model Malaysian officials had previously said they would study before implementing their own framework. Indonesia in March became the first Southeast Asian country to ban children from major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, subsequently extending the restrictions to e-commerce.