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Govt looking at Aussie, French social media legislation for children

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Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching says laws enacted for those under 16 in the two countries are being reviewed to find out if they can be adopted here.

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Teo Nie Ching said although schools and MCMC can help educate youths on responsible internet usage and safe online practices, parents play the most significant role. (Freepik pic)

PETALING JAYA:
The communications ministry is reviewing the social media ban for minors in Australia and legislation requiring parental consent for children in France for consideration of similar laws in Malaysia.

Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching told the Dewan Negara the ministry is assessing how Australia and France intend to enforce such laws, Bernama reported.

She said while teachers and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission have key roles to play in educating youths on responsible internet usage and safe online practices, parents play the most significant role.

“This issue first arises when parents provide their children with phones. How do we ensure that children under the ages of 13 or 16 do not download social media apps on their phones?

“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 many practical issues that need thorough evaluation before any decision is made.

“Recent reports show that half of those aged 13 to 17 spend an average of three hours daily on their phones. This is a phenomenon that requires serious attention and the cooperation of all parties,” she said.

She was responding to an additional question from Manolan Mohamad about whether the government plans to emulate Australia’s move to ban social media use for children under 16.

The law is set to be enforced by the end of 2025.

Last year, France passed a law requiring social media platforms to obtain parental consent for those under 15 to create accounts.

In response to Manolan’s initial question about the minimum age for registering social media accounts, Teo said most social media platform operators have set the age at 13.

She also pointed out that MCMC has mandated that social media and internet messaging service providers obtain licences by Jan 1 in order to combat the growing prevalence of harmful online activities.

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