The government has established 2026 as the targeted date for instating a limit on social media accounts of Malaysians under the age of 16.

According to Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, this was founded on the decision made by the cabinet to deal with cross-generational cyber crime, which includes guarding children against sexual predators.

It was the decision of the Cabinet to ban those under 16 years from having social media accounts.

Today, he was the officiator of the closing ceremony of the Cyber Scam Awareness Seminar of the Indian Community, stating to the press afterwards that he hoped that next year the social media sites would submit to the government decision of blocking the accounts of people who are below 16 years of age.

Fahmi claimed that the government is considering implementing a general age limit, like those measures have been adopted in Australia and other countries, especially with regard to the enforcement mechanisms.

Different countries might do it differently, and we will learn which of the methods is the most appropriate to make sure that underage people below 16 years old do not have social media accounts.

According to him, some of the mechanisms under consideration include mandatory social media sites to use e-KYC verification using government-issued documents, including MyKad, passports, and MyDigital ID.

E-KYC, also known as electronic Know Your Customer, is an online method of verifying the identity of a person through the use of technology such as biometric authentication and document validation.

“This is something that we expect platforms to be capable of doing by next year.”

According to him, “we can make sure that the Internet in Malaysia is not just fast, widespread, and affordable, but above all, safe, particularly in the hands of children and families, given that the government, regulatory bodies, and parents are all playing their respective parts.”