KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is set to enforce a minimum age of 16 for social media use by July, in a move to shield children and teenagers from online exploitation and harmful content.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the initiative, introduced under the Online Safety Act (OnSA), is currently in a regulatory sandbox to test age-verification methods with platform providers before full rollout.
“This is our target for this year. As announced by Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, we expect implementation in the second half of 2026,” she said.
The government also aims to make digital identity verification (eKYC) mandatory across all platforms by mid-2026 to enforce the age limit.
Separately, Teo said RM800 million has been allocated for Early Schooling Assistance (BAP), benefiting 5.2 million students nationwide, including 586,153 in Johor and 58,264 in Kulai. – January 26, 2026