KUALA LUMPUR — The Safer Internet Day 2026 celebration on February 8 will focus on strengthening the role of parents in monitoring their children’s internet usage, while also raising public awareness of cybercrime threats.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chief officer of state affairs, Bukhari Yahya, said that the large-scale community event at Titiwangsa Lake will feature various digital safety education programmes to help the public understand how to protect themselves and their families while online.
He said this year’s celebration will differ from previous programmes, as MCMC will deploy technical teams and experts to directly assist visitors in setting up security features on their devices, including the use of parental control applications.
“If we look at past programmes, participants mainly listened to briefings, but this time it will be different. We will provide technical teams to help visitors set up their phones, for example, parental guidance features and the like.
“We will also have platform providers, such as TikTok, Google and Facebook. Sometimes, when parents open Facebook, there are applications related to parental guidance settings, but they do not know how to use them. Therefore, this hands-on education will be provided on that day,” he said.
He said this when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara, titled ‘Safer Internet Day 2026: Safer Internet, Shared Responsibility’ (Hari Keselamatan Internet 2026: Internet Selamat, Tanggungjawab Bersama), last night.
Bukhari said various agencies and strategic partners, including the Royal Malaysia Police and the National Scam Response Centre, will also set up booths to raise awareness of current cybercrime issues, including the latest scam methods, and the steps to take if one becomes a victim.
He added that, through such exposure, the public will be able to learn how to identify suspicious offers, verify the authenticity of information and identify the appropriate channels for lodging reports in the event of fraud.
In addition, Bukhari said the programme will also see the official launch of the Safer Internet Campaign 2026, which has been expanded this year to include communities and youth, in contrast to previous years, which focused on school students and higher education institutions.
“Internet safety campaigns or programmes have been conducted every year. Last year, the focus was more on school students and higher education institutions, but this year we are expanding the campaign to include communities and youth. This is a different approach, as it is implemented in a more comprehensive manner,” he said.— January 30, 2026