Malaysia's communications minister said on Sunday that the government had approved such a ban. The ban is set to be implemented next year and is part of a broader effort to protect young people from cyberbullying, fraud and sexual exploitation, among other things.
Malaysia thus joins Australia, whose parliament passed the world's first ban on social media for children under 16. In Australia, major platforms such as Facebook and TikTok risk fines of up to around 300 million Swedish kronor if systematic shortcomings are discovered that allow children under 16 to create accounts.
The Malaysian government is studying how Australia and other countries have approached the issue, such as using electronic ID checks to verify users' ages. The minister did not say when next year the ban would be implemented.
The issue of age limits on social media is being debated in several countries. In October, the Swedish government appointed an inquiry into age limits on social media.
