KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s proposal to set a minimum age of 16 for opening social media accounts is being viewed as a preventive measure grounded in the principle of duty of care, as concerns grow over children’s exposure to cybercrime and harmful online content.
Lawyer Zulaikha Mat Zin said the move is justified given the growing risks faced by minors online, including sextortion, cyberbullying and exploitation.
She noted that Malaysia already has an extensive legal framework addressing online crimes and child protection, including the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and Evidence Act 1950, which also covers aspects related to digital evidence.
“However, given the scale of seizures involving up to 500,000 files related to child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) under the recent Ops Cyber Guardian, the main challenges now lie in enforcement and digital forensic capabilities.
“This also involves cross-border cooperation as well as the speed of digital platforms in responding to harmful content,” she was quoted saying by Bernama.
Zulaikha said one of the most critical aspects in modern cybercrime investigations is ensuring that the integrity and chain of custody of digital evidence are preserved in accordance with the Evidence Act 1950.
She said evidence-related procedures involve seizure and extraction processes that comply with digital forensic standards, including hashing techniques to verify file authenticity and metadata verification by experts.
Still, she stressed that restrictions based solely on age are insufficient if not accompanied by stronger safeguards and enforcement mechanisms.
“Currently, Malaysia’s legal framework on platform liability is still evolving and is not as aggressive as those in the European Union or Australia,” she said.
She proposed introducing stricter statutory obligations for social media platforms, along with faster content removal mechanisms involving CSAM-related materials.
Zulaikha also suggested mandatory reporting requirements for platform operators and tougher penalties against organised cybercrime syndicates as part of broader efforts to create a safer digital ecosystem.
The government previously announced that children below the age of 16 would not be permitted to open or own social media accounts.
Beginning June 1, users will be required to upload official government-issued identification documents for age verification under two new codes introduced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
The new measures — the Child Protection Code (CPC) and Risk Mitigation Code (RMC) fall under the implementation of the Online Safety Act.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching had said identity cards and passports could be used to verify users’ ages and prevent those under 16 from creating social media accounts. – May 24, 2026