Malaysia Begins Australian-Style Social Media Ban for Under 16s

Groups have raised concerns that it could limit children’s access to information, communication, and social participation, and increase surveillance.

Two Malay girls check a mobile phone at a fabric installation decoration at Kwai Chai Hong, the Chinatown area in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 30, 2021. Vincent Thian/AP Photo

Malaysia has implemented an Australian-style social media ban, barring those aged under 16 from registering accounts on major platforms, its communications regulator announced on June 1.

The Southeast Asian country joins a growing number of governments that regulate access to ​online platforms amid widespread concern over social media’s impact ⁠on children’s developing minds.