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Malaysia Bans Social Media For Children Under 16; Joins List Of Countries Like Turkey & Australia

malaysia social media ban

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Malaysia will mandate popular social media platforms to verify users’ ages and ban children under 16 from registering accounts under new online safety rules that took effect on Monday. Want to know more about it? Read on!

Malaysia To Ban Social Media For Children

As per a report by India Today, the guidelines apply to platforms with at least eight million users in Southeast Asian countries like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. As per the communications regulators, the platforms will be given a grace period to execute the measures. The country is the latest to make an effort to restrict young people’s access to social media platforms, as concern grows worldwide over their negative impact on child wellbeing.

As per the FAQ document released by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), users below the age of 16 are not permitted to register for social media accounts.

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Under Malaysia’s Online Safety Act, the newly introduced Child Protection Code and Risk Mitigation Code require social media platforms to adopt stricter content moderation measures. Companies must take proactive steps to reduce harmful online content by strengthening reporting systems, improving response mechanisms, verifying advertisers, and clearly labelling manipulated or misleading content when necessary.

Failure to comply with the two codes could result in financial penalties for the companies of up to 10 million Malaysian ringgit.

Countries To Ban Social Media For Children

Back in December, Australia became the first country to mandate TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top sites to ban accounts for under-16s or face heavy fines.

Similar to Australia, Indonesia has also made social media platforms responsible for restricting access for teenagers. In March, the country introduced a ban on social media use for children under 16 to protect nearly 70 million young people from risks such as cyberbullying, online pornography, and internet addiction.

According to Indonesia’s Digital Minister, the government also plans to expand the restrictions to all digital platforms in the future and is considering applying them to online shopping websites as well.

Meanwhile, Turkey passed a law in April to restrict social media access for children under 15. Several European countries, including Norway, Greece, France, Spain, and Denmark, have also announced plans to introduce similar measures to protect young users online.

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What are your thoughts about this?

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FAQs

Is social media ban for under 16 in Karnataka?

Karnataka announced plans to become the first state in India to ban social media for children under 16, as stated in the 2026–27 state budget.

Is India going to ban social media for kids under 16?

India is not implementing a blanket nationwide ban on social media for children under 16, as the central government is instead favoring a "graded, age-based restriction" framework rather than complete bans.

Which state bans social media in India?

The southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are the first in India to announce state-level bans on social media use for minors, citing concerns over digital addiction and mental health.

Tanvi Shrivastava: