Should Social Media Platforms Be Responsible for Keeping Under-16s Offline?
May 25, 2026
By Olena Nechyporuk
From 1 June 2026, Malaysia will introduce new measures that require online platforms to implement stronger safeguards for children using social media. The rules form part of wider efforts to improve youth safety across digital services and reduce exposure to harmful content online.
📌 Key details:
🔹 Online service providers must restrict account registration and ownership for users under 16
🔹 Platforms will need to introduce stronger content governance and safety controls
🔹 Measures are designed to reduce children’s exposure to harmful or inappropriate online content
Countries such as Australia, France and Spain are already on the path of introducing similar restrictions, so this points to a broader global wave toward tightening restrictions around what children consume online. Governments are putting ever increasing pressure on social platforms to protect young users online.
💭 This opens up the conversation about age verification, privacy, enforcement, and about who should ultimately be responsible for child online safety: platforms, parents or regulators?
