MY will not be implementing social media limit law, says Fahmi

Malaysia will not be introducing new laws to limit the age of social media users. Instead, it will focus on licensing social media platforms, which is set to take effect on 1 January 2025. 

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said that the emphasis will be on ensuring social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp enforce their existing age limit. Currently, WhatsApp has an age limit of 16 years old while Facebook, TikTok and Instagram is set to 13 years old and above. 

He added that moving forward, the government aims to understand why children use social media platforms despite the age limit rules. The minister made these comments when addressing media at a press conference at the 'Lembah pantai peduli ummah tour' programme on Sunday (8 December), according to Malay Mail. 

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Meanwhile at the 'Jelajah peduli ummah' programme held on the same day, the minister said that the government will remind social media platforms to take action based on the age limit set. Failure to do so will lead to a discussion on the best course of action, added Fahmi. 

In addition, Fahmi reportedly said that the amendment to Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) would allow two forms of offences to be arrestable offences. The offences are namely pedophilia and the sale of online pornography. 

The government has also decided to make some offences more severe while the aspect of freedom of expression is more detailed and not easy to be abused in the future, the minister reportedly added. 

Earlier in November this year, Australia passed a law that bans children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms. The laws place the onus on social media platforms – not young people or their parents – to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 years of age from having accounts. Social media companies that fail to do so will face fines of up to US$32 million. A trial of enforcement methods will begin in January 2025, with the ban set to take effect in one year.

In response to the passage of the law, a spokesperson from Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, told A+M in a statement that it is concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.

On the other hand, a spokesperson from Bytedance said in a statement that it is disappointed that the Australian government has ignored the advice of many mental health, online safety, and youth advocacy experts who have strongly opposed the ban. 

On a similar note, a spokesperson from Snap said in a statement that it has raised serious concerns about the legislation, alongside various academics and experts, including the Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights Commissioner.

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