Jakarta, INTI - Malaysia officially imposed restrictions on the use of social media for children under 16 years old on Monday, June 1, 2026. The government has set fines of up to 10 million ringgit (approximately Rp44.9 billion) for digital platforms that violate these rules.
Engadget reported that the Malaysian government has been formulating the regulation since last year. The regulation applies to social media platforms with the number of users in Malaysia reaching more than eight million people.
With this regulation, platform users are now required to carry out age verification to ensure they are at least 16 years old.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated that the age verification process will be implemented in stages over the next six months. The regulations also prohibit users under the age of 16 from creating new accounts on social media platforms.
However, the government provides a one-month transition period for users currently under 16 to manage, download, or transfer their data before account access is restricted.
The Regulation Could be a Boomerang
Meta’s Director of Public Policy, Central Southeast Asia & ASEAN, Clara Koh, criticized the policy. She believes these restrictions could encourage teenagers to move from platforms with monitoring systems to the unregulated side of the internet.
Malaysia is not the only country in Southeast Asia to implement age restrictions for social media. Indonesia has already implemented similar rules for users under the age of 16, which became effective at the beginning of 2026.
At the global level, several countries are also considering formulating and implementing policies limiting social media access for children.
Conclusion
Malaysia officially implemented social media restrictions for children under 16 starting June 1, 2026. Platforms with more than eight million users in Malaysia are required to implement age verification within the next six months. Violators can be fined up to 10 million ringgit. This policy has drawn criticism, saying the rule could encourage teenagers to switch to unsupervised platforms.
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