Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil calls for a minimum social media age of 16 following an incident where a 10-year-old sent explicit messages
PUTRAJAYA: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has reiterated the call to set a minimum age of 16 for social media use.
He said this measure is essential to protect children and teenagers from exploitation and harmful online content.
Fahmi cited a recent incident where a 10-year-old pupil in Kuala Lumpur asked a teacher for explicit photos via WhatsApp.
“This was reported by a teacher, who said her Year Four pupil had sent her the inappropriate message via the app,” he said.
“We hope issues like this can be addressed through tighter controls on social media platforms and messaging services like WhatsApp.”
He clarified that the government is not trying to ban every application, but its current main concern is social media.
“I believe the Education Ministry is already aware of incidents like these,” Fahmi added.
He made these remarks at a press conference after officiating the closing ceremony of the 2025 Safe Internet Campaign Mega Carnival.
The event was held at the IOI City Mall Exhibition and Convention Centre. – Bernama
