KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian parents have expressed concern over the exposure of underage children to toxic content and the lack of real-life interactions, which they attribute to the absence of proper social media regulations in the country.
This response followed Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil’s statement that his ministry leaves the enforcement of age restrictions to social media platforms themselves to ensure policy stability, as the government does not want to restrict freedom of expression.
Countries such as Australia have already implemented laws to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms due to the high number of suicide cases among this age group in the country.
Speaking to Scoop, Vinothan Krishnan argued that social media regulations must be implemented by the government to create a safer online environment.
“As a parent, I’ve seen firsthand how social media can negatively impact my child’s mental health. Platforms like TikTok may offer entertainment, but they also expose kids to toxic content – unrealistic beauty standards, harmful trends, and inappropriate challenges.
“The government must introduce regulations to protect our children from these influences. They need a safer environment online – one that promotes healthy behaviours and does not encourage them to compare themselves to others in such damaging ways.
“My child has become increasingly absorbed in these platforms, spending less time outdoors or engaging in healthy physical activities like sports. It worries me that this obsession is affecting her social skills and physical well-being. This kind of lifestyle is no way to grow up,” said Vinothan when contacted.
Penang-based kindergarten principal Christine Tan shared with Scoop her concerns about the impact of long exposure to social media on the health and wellbeing of underage children, saying that such exposure would affect their brain development, thus affecting their learning progress.
Tan shared that she has been keeping herself updated on news related to social media usage among children, noting that the issue has been discussed among parents.
Tan also said that she had learned from her students’ parents that their children are seeing a lack of progress in learning when they are exposed to gadgets, YouTube, and games for a long time.
“They are not able to focus (on their lessons and) they can’t memorise the lessons taught by the teachers.
“Some of these children also come to school in ‘sleepy mode’ as they were exposed to too much gaming and YouTube at the weekend.
“We can see (the effects) when they come to school on Monday (where) they start to throw tantrums,” she told Scoop, adding that these children have found school lessons too boring when compared to using gadgets.
Tan also said that she frequently advises parents to not let their children spend too much time on the screen.
As a parent herself, she has imposed control on YouTube consumption by her 7-year-old daughter – where she and her husband allow their daughter to watch YouTube content for only 15 minutes during the weekend.
“And then after a certain time, we’ll let her watch again, maybe another 15 minutes – but only for the weekend,” she added.
Tan also said that should Malaysia move to emulate their Australian counterpart in banning underage children from using social media, kindergarten teachers can enforce such restrictions on their students.
Meanwhile, secondary school teacher Nadzelianna Nadzeri, said that she believes parents need to have full control of their children’s access to social media – given the fact that they are exposed to inappropriate and upsetting online content.
The mother of four also said implementing such control would help these children to communicate and interact with their parents, thus fostering better familial relationships.
“All of my children were only given their own gadgets after they reached 15 years old. Before this, they accessed their social media (accounts) using our handphones as we always monitored their activities.
“A few rules and regulations were set prior to owning their own social media (accounts). (Even) my 22-year-old son still consults us (parents) before making further actions – be it online or offline,” she told Scoop when contacted.
Commenting on regulations, Nadzelianna is of the view that should the government intend to set a law prohibiting minors from using social media platforms, it should set a minimum age of 13 and above.
For Ashok Sivaji, his main concern is about his son often wasting time on social media without prioritising his schoolwork.
“It’s alarming how much time my son spends scrolling through social media apps, and I’ve noticed how his focus on schoolwork and real-life interactions has diminished. These platforms are designed to keep kids hooked, and they often waste hours of their day without realising it.
“It’s not just a distraction – it’s pulling them away from activities that actually develop their minds and bodies, like reading, learning new skills, or playing sports. Kids need to experience real-life interactions and learn important life lessons outside of a screen,” said Ashok.
Oliver “Jimbun” David, a father of one, believes his son’s exposure to social media has helped the boy learn about natural disasters and aeroplane crashes happening overseas, sharing further that his son had also spoken with him about the recent crash incidents that took place in Kazakhstan and South Korea.
Despite exposure to news via social media, the oil and gas technician also said that exposure of underage children to social media is “not so beneficial” for them given the fact that certain contents could reach the children despite the due diligence undertaken by parents.
Jimbun also voiced concerns about how underage children who are exposed to increased screen time saw their learning process and sleeping time affected, echoing Tan’s views.
“It is not so healthy. Have you seen children with ‘panda’ eyes?” he asked, referring to the common appearance of a sleep-deprived person with dark circles under their eyes.
Meanwhile, Yong Sabariah Salleh said: “Lately, I’ve noticed my daughter picking up strange behaviours from her online interactions. She starts mimicking trends and sayings she sees online without fully understanding their implications. It worries me because, as parents, we can’t always control the content they’re exposed to.
“The government needs to create policies that ensure these platforms are safe, especially for younger users, and that they do not promote harmful behaviours, hate speech, or dangerous fads that children might blindly follow.
“I also fear that some of the people they interact with online are encouraging violence or even criminal behaviour. Social media has become a space where young minds are easily influenced, and I worry about the long-term effects this could have on their morality and decision-making,” said Yong.
Uma David, who is a school teacher at SMK Sri Hartamas, commented: “Social media is not just a tool for entertainment; it has become a battleground for self-esteem.
“I’ve seen how much pressure my children feel to look a certain way, act a certain way, and be part of trends that are popular online, even if they don’t align with their values.
“The government should step in and regulate these platforms, making sure that the content being promoted supports a healthy self-image and doesn’t encourage harmful comparisons or unrealistic expectations.
“Kids need to feel good about themselves without being constantly bombarded with ideals they can’t live up to. I’ve been thinking a lot about the tragic case of Esha, the social media influencer who recently took her life due to online abuse.
“It breaks my heart, and I can’t help but fear that my own child could face similar pressures, leading to irreversible consequences. I want to protect her from that kind of pain, and the government must intervene before another tragedy occurs,” said Uma.
She was referring to the tragedy of the late activist and social media influencer Rajeswary Appahu, who died following being cyberbullied on TikTok.
Esha died on July 5, reportedly after facing a month of online bullying.
Before her death, Esha lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi police station, detailing the violent threats made against her.
Recently, it was reported that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain revealed that approximately 40,000 files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and adult pornographic content were uncovered during a recent operation by the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
13 men from six states were arrested in the operations for the alleged possession of such materials. – December 30, 2024