Malaysia is considering legislation to ban children under 16 from using social media, similar to Australia.

 

The controversial ban on social media for minors under 16 in Australia, a highly anticipated legislation, could inspire similar measures in other countries worldwide. Last week, Malaysia announced plans for similar legislation.

Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil stated that the government is considering requiring major social media platforms to verify users' ages, possibly through a verification system requiring supporting documents issued by a government agency. This legislation is expected to be implemented within the next year.

Malaysia has not yet disclosed many details of the law. Preliminary information indicates a minimum age of 16, similar to Australia, and that platforms subject to regulation must have at least 8 million users.