KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued a reminder to parents, urging them to ensure that their children under the age of 13 do not possess any social media accounts.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil emphasized that the commission had identified the inappropriateness of social media usage for children under 13. He pointed out that most social media platforms explicitly prohibit individuals of such age from creating accounts.

Addressing parents at the Lembah Pantai Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house 2024 held at IWK Eco Park@Lembah Pantai, the spokesperson for the unity government reiterated the MCMC's stance. He warned parents against allowing their children under 13 to access platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media platform.

Fahmi urged parents to promptly report any instances of children under 13 having social media accounts to the MCMC. He assured that appropriate actions would be taken to shut down such accounts.

Regarding the issue of age verification during social media account registration, Fahmi clarified that current platforms lack effective mechanisms to verify users' ages. He mentioned that his ministry had engaged in discussions with relevant parties, including Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and Telegram, to address this concern.

"We have discussed various aspects with them and highlighted the need for proactive measures. My expectation is that by early May, there will be announcements regarding the outcomes of these discussions, particularly concerning online safety for children," Fahmi stated.