Malaysia Enforces Under-16 Social Media Ban: Age Verification Rules Take Effect with Fines Up to $2.5 Million
मुख्य बातें
- •Malaysia enforces a ban on social media accounts for children under 16, effective from June 2026
- •Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube must implement age verification and block underage users
- •Non-compliance can result in fines up to 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million)
- •Concerns raised about data privacy and effectiveness due to potential bypass by parents
Malaysia has begun enforcing new regulations that prohibit children under the age of 16 from owning or operating social media accounts, joining a growing list of countries tightening online safety measures for young users. The rules, which took effect on Monday, mandate that social media platforms implement robust age-verification systems and automatically block account creation for users below 16. These requirements apply to major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—each of which has at least 8 million users in the country. Companies that fail to comply with the new law face penalties of up to 10 million ringgit, equivalent to approximately $2.5 million.
