KUALA LUMPUR – Adults must respect the personal boundaries of children, including their right to privacy and permission to be used as online content, a children’s safety advocacy group said following uproar over a school bus driver’s TikTok postings of primary school students.
Expressing deep concern over the prevalence of children being used as content for social media postings, particularly on TikTok, Protect and Save the Children (PS The Children) said the public must speak out against inappropriate behaviours towards children.
The non-consensual publishing of materials featuring children online could pose significant risks related to normalisation of grooming behaviours, it said, adding that such postings compromises children’s personal privacy and bodily autonomy.
“Children have a fundamental right to privacy, as outlined in Article 16 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This right protects them from arbitrary interference with their personal lives and ensures that their dignity is upheld,” PS The Children said in a statement today.
“When children are used as content on social media without their consent, it undermines this right and can lead to long-term psychological effects.
“They learn that their bodies and identities can be shared publicly without their say, which can significantly impact their understanding of personal boundaries and autonomy.
“Non-consensual sharing of photos and videos not only impacts their self-perception but also teaches them that they lack control over their own images and narratives,” PS The Children added.
Adults should encourage children to practise asserting their boundaries, ensuring they understand that they will not be shamed or penalised for saying no to adults, the group also said.
This empowerment is vital in fostering a culture of respect and safety.
Yesterday, it was reported that Johor police had arrested the school bus driver, whose TikTok account had more than 600,000 followers, after netizens raised concern over his content on the platform.
Almost all of the videos on his page show him driving the bus while recording his passengers, believed to be primary school children whose faces were exposed.
Some of the videos showed him touching the children, with a particular focus on the young girls, who he referred to as his “crush” and “beloved”.
One of his TikTok posts gained 22.4 million views, while his other posts also had a high number of views, “likes”, and “favourites”, indicating that his account is popular on the platform.
Previously, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri responded to the issue, saying that the bus driver’s behaviour is “not accepted and should not be normalised”.
She had also instructed the children’s development department under her ministry to lodge a police report and announced that her side is ready to assist the police’s sexual, women and child investigation division (D11) with their probe.
The suspect is currently being investigated under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 for watching and communicating with a child repeatedly with sexual intentions, an offence punishable by imprisonment not more than 10 years, a fine not exceeding RM20,000, or both.
He is also being investigated under the Child Act 2001 for disseminating photos of children through electronic devices, which is punishable by imprisonment not more than five years, a fine not exceeding RM10,000, or both. – September 7, 2024