The Online Safety Act 2025 is set to take effect soon and the government’s proposal to block individuals under 16 from owning social media accounts by mid‑year. Currently, debate over the best way to protect young people is intensifying. Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad recently voiced concern that a blanket ban may not be effective, as teenagers will still find ways around it, and we may not know where they might end up.
These concerns are valid. Risks such as cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and digital addiction are real and cannot be ignored. But is a blanket ban truly the most effective solution, or merely an illusion of control?
Digital Reality for Malaysian Youths
Evidence is already available. Australia, the first country to implement a social media ban for under‑16s in December 2025, now faces serious compliance issues. A recent report by the eSafety regulator found that major platforms still allow children to retry age verification until successful, while measures to prevent new account creation remain inadequate. Surveys show only one in four Australians believe the ban is effective. Indonesia, which introduced a similar ban on March 28, has already summoned several major platforms within three days for failing to comply. VPN usage in Indonesia spiked immediately after the ban was enforced.
The most worrying issue is what happens after accounts are closed. In Australia, major platforms admit teenagers use more than 40 apps weekly, most outside the ban’s scope. When mainstream platforms are blocked, teens don’t stop — they migrate to less regulated, less transparent, and often riskier apps. This is not speculation; it is proven reality.
As a mother of two teenage boys, I see firsthand how the digital world is embedded in their lives. My children use platforms like WhatsApp and Google Classroom for school discussions, sharing references, and coordinating group work. A blanket ban not only restricts risks but it will also block learning opportunities that are already part of their education.
In my opinion, it’s better to monitor what my children do in transparent spaces than to wonder what happens in spaces I cannot see. Strict but unenforceable rules only breed non‑compliance and erode public trust in protection efforts.
I agree with Nik Nazmi’s view that a more effective approach is age‑based access control combined with stronger monitoring, not blanket bans. Pair this with digital literacy education in schools and online safety awareness at home, and we have a far more realistic framework — one that involves parents, schools, authorities, and tech platforms together.
Protecting young people is a shared responsibility. But I do not want my children cut off from the digital world. I want them prepared to face it. Our goal should not be to raise a digitally blind generation, but a digitally wise one.
Article by:
JULIA ISMAIL, Mother of three, Kuala Lumpur.
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