Malaysian Communications Ministry Reviewing France and Australia’s Social Media Legislation for Children

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Ministry of Communications is currently reviewing the recent social media ban for minors under 16 in Australia and legislation requiring parental consent for children under 15 in France, for consideration of similar laws in Malaysia.

“At this stage, we are assessing how Australia and France intend to enforce such laws because the first issue arises when parents provide their children with phones. How do we ensure that children under 13 or 16 do not download social media apps onto their phones?,” said Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching.

“So, who will be responsible for monitoring this? If someone violates the law by downloading social media apps, who do we penalise -- the parents, the children, or the platform providers?

“There are indeed many practical issues that need thorough evaluation before any decision is made,” she explained during a question and answer session in the Dewan Negara (Malaysian Senate) Thursday.

-- BERNAMA