KUALA LUMPUR (BERNAMA) – The Malaysian government’s decision to require social media platforms to secure a regulatory licence from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will help the nation to navigate the digital landscape safely and in a better way.
The anonymity and accessibility provided by social media platforms have made it easier for perpetrators to groom children or distribute exploitative content. Statistics from the Cyber Crime and Anti-Trafficking Unit of the Royal Malaysia Police reveal an alarming rise in such cases annually, underscoring the urgent need for tighter controls.
According to Universiti Utara Malaysia’s School of Multimedia Technology and Communication (SMMTC) senior lecturer Dr Azian Muhamad Adzmi, this licensing framework not only ensures accountability but also creates opportunities to empower citizens through digital literacy to complement regulatory efforts, and highlights the need for a balanced approach to combat the twin challenges of online fraud and misinformation while preserving the principle of free speech.
“This is not just a regulatory initiative; it signals Malaysia’s intent to position itself as a regional leader in digital governance. This comparison with international frameworks such as Australia’s Digital Services Act underscores the global relevance of the issues and reflects Malaysia’s proactive stance,” she told Bernama.
She noted the role of digital literacy as another critical area in supporting the initiative, whereby empowering citizens with digital literacy skills being equally as important, and as such, a public awareness campaign, partnership with educational institutions as well as making use of all available media channels to disseminate knowledge about identifying scams and information should be emphasised to ensure the public actively participates in creating a safer online environment.
“The proposed framework, if executed transparently and inclusively, could serve as a model for other nations grappling with similar challenges but for it to succeed, it must address three key areas, namely ensuring clear and fair guidelines for all platforms, fostering collaboration with tech industry stakeholders and investing in public digital literacy, subsequently balancing regulation empowerment and making this initiative stand out.
“It acknowledges that while platforms have responsibility to moderate content, the government and the public also have roles to play in creating a resilient digital ecosystem. Malaysia’s decision to pioneer such a bold move could ignite global discussion on the future of digital governance, signalling that freedom of expression and accountability can indeed coexist for a greater societal good,” she added.
Azian noted that the initiative was not merely about censorship, but also accountability, concerning ways to utilise social media accordingly and responsibly in ensuring that there would be no more threats or dangers in accessing social media.
“As Malaysia embarks on this journey, it must ensure the policy is inclusive, forward-thinking and adaptable to the rapidly evolving digital landscape. It is a step in the right direction, one that could set the precedence for how nations approach digital governance in the 21st century,” she said.
Like any digital landscape around the world, Malaysia has not been spared from shortcomings, one particular case being the arrest of a 74-year-old man who was among 13 individuals suspected of committing online sexual offences involving child sexual abuse materials during Op Pedo on Dec 23.
Following that, on Dec 25, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the police and MCMC were intensifying efforts to track individuals who possess, store and distribute pornographic materials and child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), adding that operations under ‘Op Pedo’ would continue to be conducted periodically to curb such activities, on top of collaboration with MCMC to identify and gather related information.
Early education, parental training, and accessible reporting channels are essential to empowering communities to protect children from online dangers, and Malaysia’s licensing initiative aligns with international best practices.
For example, Australia requires social media platforms to report suspicious activities to its eSafety Commissioner, while the United Kingdom focuses on digital literacy through community awareness programmes. The United States, with its National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has also set a benchmark in comprehensive child protection measures.
Touching on children’s online safety issues, Criminologist and Deputy Dean (Postgraduate Affairs), Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya (UM), Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid, said preventing further escalation of any child sexual abuse materials or victimisation of children should start at home, with parents constantly monitoring their children’s online activity.
“It’s inevitable that even children are now actively online today, so besides checking up on what they do or browse online, we need to remind them constantly to not simply engage with any unknown persons, like how we were told by our parents back then to not talk to strangers on the streets.
“Besides that, parents nowadays are frequently seen sharing photos of their children on social media platforms, also known as ‘sharenting’, which is another concerning phenomenon, mainly because it exposes children to many forms of unseen dangers, including CSAM,” she said.
She added children who were unwilling dragged into being sexualised objects or exposed to any forms of pornography had higher chances of suffering devastating and life-long emotional and psychological consequences.
“Sometimes children who were victimised in this aspect may normalise those acts of sexualisation, making them think that it may be normal. These will cause them to fall into depression, get traumatised or gain distrust among people. As a result, they might invite others to engage in such acts or worse, do it onto other children. They might view being sexualised as an expression of love when it’s actually the exact opposite,” she said.
Haezreena Begum also noted that even though the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792) was around to directly punish those who committed CSAM, it still did not adequately address the issue from a holistic approach.
She said the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) worsened the situation, whereby would-be CSAM criminals could easily take advantage of the rapidly evolving technology to communicate and engage with an unknowing child and persuade them to, among others, perform sexual acts.
“There’s still a lot of parents who do not remind or educate their children that sexual offences, even sexual grooming, can happen online. We’re still going through that traditional, conventional way, in that we forget that things unfold in the virtual world too.
“So in terms of that, for both parents and the government, there needs to be ongoing caution or awareness initiatives not only for young girls, but also boys as a proactive reminder. The most important thing is that do not engage with people you don’t know,” she added.
Haezreena Begum added that authorities needed to consider giving mandatory counselling or rehabilitation programmes for those who were convicted of committing online sexual offences, especially CSAM.
She said CSAM stemmed from an abnormal obsession towards children which could potentially go out of control and disrupt the future of generations to come.
“To the offenders, this is just like an interest and interests do not just fade away. As such, it would require long-term monitoring to see what is wrong with that particular person. For instance, it’s not normal for a 50-year-old man to be sexually attracted to a child who is just nine!
“We’re talking about their obsession and fetish towards children, which definitely calls for grave attention from the mass public. To do this, it would go beyond just physical aspects… it’s also monitoring against any chances to commit this type of offence online,” she reminded.