Malaysia is tightening rules for online platforms as it looks to reduce children’s exposure to harmful digital content, with new child protection and risk mitigation codes taking effect on June 1, 2026.
TL;DR
- Malaysia’s MCMC has introduced two new codes under the Online Safety Act 2025.
- Platforms must add safeguards limiting account registration and ownership for users under 16.
- The rules also require stronger content governance and age-appropriate protections.
- The move follows Malaysia’s wider crackdown on harmful content, scams, cyberbullying and online abuse.
Malaysia’s communications regulator is introducing new rules that will push online platforms to take stronger responsibility for protecting children online.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the new measures will come into force on June 1, 2026, and are aimed at reducing children’s exposure to harmful content on digital platforms. The rules require online service providers to include safeguards that limit account registration and ownership by users under the age of 16, along with stronger content governance policies.
The rules arrive through two new regulatory frameworks under Malaysia’s Online Safety Act 2025, namely the Child Protection Code (CPC) and the Risk Mitigation Code (RMC). According to local reports citing MCMC, the codes were published after engagement with industry players, civil society groups and relevant stakeholders, including a public consultation held from February 12 to March 31, 2026.
MCMC said the new obligations are part of the government’s ongoing efforts to create a safer digital experience for children and families. “This step helps strengthen child protection in the online environment, while giving parents added confidence in navigating increasingly complex digital risks,” the regulator said in a statement, according to The Edge.
The CPC is focused on child protection, while the RMC is designed to reduce exposure to harmful online content and compel digital service providers to adopt stronger safety and governance measures. The measures are also aimed at introducing age-appropriate protections and restrictions for high-risk features on online platforms.
The move builds on Malaysia’s earlier plan to block users under 16 from opening social media accounts in 2026. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil previously said the government was studying mechanisms used by Australia and other countries to impose social media age restrictions. “We hope by next year that social media platforms will comply with the government's decision to bar those under the age of 16 from opening user accounts,” he said in November 2025, according to Reuters.
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Malaysia has said the restrictions are intended to protect young users from harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams and child sexual abuse. The country has also placed larger digital platforms under greater scrutiny, with platforms and messaging services that have more than 8 million users in Malaysia required to obtain a license under rules that came into effect in January.
The announcement also comes shortly after Malaysia ordered TikTok to explain what regulators described as a failure to respond adequately to offensive and fake content targeting the country’s royal institution. MCMC said TikTok had hosted AI-generated videos and manipulated images, and issued a legal notice requiring the platform to improve moderation and take remedial steps.
Malaysia is not acting alone. Australia is preparing to deactivate accounts registered to users under 16, while several European countries are testing age-verification technology. Meanwhile, regulators in the UK have also raised concerns over child safety enforcement on large platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.
For online platforms, the new Malaysian rules mean child safety controls will no longer be just a policy preference, but a regulatory expectation. For users and parents, the biggest test will be whether these rules can protect children without creating new privacy and identity verification risks.
