Malaysia said it would ban under-16s from social media, following the example of Australia.
Kuala Lumpur said the measures were intended to protect children from bullying, scams, and abuse. Social media’s impact on young people, although scientifically contested, has become a growing concern worldwide: Several tech giants face lawsuits in the US, while the UK has introduced mandatory age-gating for sites with adult content, and several European countries are jointly testing an age verification app.
Australia is going the furthest, banning all social media for under-16s; platforms are expected to deactivate younger users’ accounts next month, and regulators around the world are watching it closely, Al Jazeera reported, as — presumably — are providers of VPNs.
