Malaysia expects social media platforms to begin verifying users’ ages in early January 2027, once a transition period under the Online Safety Act 2025 ends, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching told parliament on Wednesday. Licensed platforms must first submit online safety plans to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, or MCMC, by December 28.
The plans must set out the measures and improvements that each provider intends to make to ensure a safer digital environment for users, Teo said during question time in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament. The requirement comes from the Online Safety Act, also known as Act 866, which applies to licensed social media service providers.
“We are still in the transition period, and we expect platforms to implement this obligation in early January next year,” she said. “All data on the number of accounts they have verified and closed will be submitted to us after the transition period.”
Teo was answering a question from Wong Shu Qi, the member for Kluang, about platforms’ compliance with the age verification requirement, including how many accounts had been verified or blocked and what action would be taken against providers that fall short.
MCMC has issued directives to social media service providers, including Meta, TikTok and Google, to make sure age verification mechanisms are put in place, and has asked them for information so that it can monitor compliance, Teo said. The regulator began requiring platforms to verify account holders’ ages in June, along with the identity of paid advertisers.
Licensed providers that fail to meet their obligations under the act face fines of up to RM1 million, plus up to RM100,000 for each day an offense continues after conviction.
Other governments in the region are moving in the same direction. The Philippine House of Representatives last month approved restrictions on social media use by children under 13.
Teo also drew a line between checking age and checking identity. The mechanism for users aged 16 and above does not involve verifying who they are, she said, so it will not directly address fake accounts, a problem she said needs further study.
Sources: Free Malaysia Today
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
