‘Social media should only start at 16’

PETALING JAYA: A minimum age of 16 should be set for children’s access to social media with parental permission required till the age of 18, says Suhakam in response to government findings that even primary school pupils have TikTok accounts.

The calls for stricter enforcement to keep children off social media comes after the US Congress started hearings over how children have been harmed or died from the abuse they encountered on these platforms.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Prof Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal, who proposed the 16-year-old age limit, said younger children are especially vulnerable to being manipulated and exploited.“I think 13 or 14 is too young. It is so easy to influence children because they are so vulnerable and at the age of trying and looking for things,” she told The Star yesterday.

“That’s the reason why we need to have some sort of control on all these accounts.

“There must be a control and limit to children’s usage of social media apps.

“Children have the right to information but even then, some information could be restricted or limited according to age.

“It is true that we are in a digital age, but we still have to protect children,” she said, adding that even young adults face risks on social media.

Noor Aziah said there must be extra safeguards to protect children and they must be made aware of dangers such as paedophiles, groomers and catfishing.

On Friday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said his ministry was considering meeting TikTok’s management in Malaysia to highlight how the government found that even children below 13 had accounts on the platform.

This is even while the TikTok community guidelines explicitly state that users must be 13 years and older to have an account.

On Jan 31, Mark Zuckerbeg, chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, apologised to families whose children had been harmed on social media.

Zuckerberg, along with the CEOs of TikTok, Snap, X and Discord, were hauled up before the US Senate in its inquiry into the impact of social media on children.

Meanwhile, Childline Foundation executive director Datin Wong Poai Hong said that not enough is being done in Malaysia to protect children from being harmed while online.

For instance, the Malaysian Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) portal, which is a collaboration with Childline, has been receiving increased reports of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) found online.

“We need to review all laws and regulations, increase child-friendly reporting mechanisms and support systems for children impacted by online child abuse and exploitation.

“No matter the age of the child using social media, parents and teachers should ensure that they have been taught about being safe online and acceptable online behaviours.

“This goes for all social media platforms and even online games,” she said.