Users aged 16 and above are allowed to register and own social media accounts, while those below 16 are prohibited from doing so until they reach the required age.
PETALING JAYA: Social media platforms cannot rely on self-declaration alone to verify whether users meet minimum age requirements, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil told the Dewan Rakyat.
He said age verification must be supported by official government records such as MyKad, passports, birth certificates or other recognised documents.
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“To ensure the age verification mechanism is not manipulated, age verification must be supported by official government records and not merely self-declaration,” he said.
Fahmi said the requirement is part of the Child Protection Code, which came into force on June 1 under the Online Safety Act 2025 (Onsa).
Under the code, licensed social media providers must carry out age verification — not identity verification — to ensure users are at least 16 years old.
Users aged 16 and above are allowed to register and own social media accounts, while those below 16 are prohibited from doing so until they reach the required age.
“The implementation of age verification is not intended to permanently prevent children from using social media.
“Instead, it is to delay ownership of social media accounts until they reach 16 and have a level of maturity deemed appropriate to use the platform safely and responsibly,” he said.
The matter was raised by Syahredzan Johan (PH–Bang), who asked about the purpose of age verification and safeguards to ensure platforms only collect limited personal data and delete it once verification is completed.
Fahmi said social media providers must comply with personal data protection laws, including principles of data minimisation and purpose limitation.
“This is done by limiting data collection to information necessary for age verification and disposing of it once the purpose has been completed,” he said.
He added that the mechanism must be safe, practical and respect user privacy.
Fahmi said the code does not prescribe specific technology, as long as platforms meet the objective of preventing users under 16 from registering while protecting personal data.
He added that discussions with platforms such as Meta, X and TikTok have been ongoing through a regulatory sandbox since January, with more than 30 engagement sessions held.
Fahmi said Malaysia’s approach differs from other countries because Malaysian children are issued MyKid at birth and MyKad at 12, providing official documentation for verification.
“This is not identity verification, but age verification,” he said.
He also warned that non-compliance with MCMC directives under Onsa could result in fines of up to RM1 million, with an additional RM100,000 per day for continuing offences.
He added that under Section 39 of the Act, licensed providers could face fines of up to RM10 million for non-compliance.
