Malaysia removed 61,000 harmful online items since 2022 to protect children from cyberbullying and exploitation.
PETALING JAYA: More than 61,000 harmful online content items, including cyberbullying material and obscene content, have been removed since 2022 as the government intensifies efforts to protect children from cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation and exposure to harmful material.
In a written reply to the Dewan Negara, the Communications Ministry said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had submitted 78,741 takedown requests between Jan 1, 2022 and July 15, with 61,887 pieces of content, or 79%, successfully removed.
“The government views cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation and children’s exposure to harmful content as serious issues.
“Crimes involving bullying and sexual exploitation fall under the jurisdiction of the police under the Penal Code and the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, while MCMC supports investigations through technical assistance such as digital forensic analysis and information-sharing,” it said.
The ministry also highlighted the success of Op Pedo operations in combating Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
“Op Pedo 1.0 in December 2024 led to the arrest of several individuals and the seizure of more than 40,000 CSAM files.
“Subsequently, Op Pedo 2.0 in September 2025 involved 37 locations, resulting in the arrest of 31 suspects and the seizure of more than 880,000 CSAM files. Of these, 17 suspects have been charged in court,” it said.
The ministry added that the success of the operations demonstrated the effectiveness of cross-agency collaboration in tackling the online sexual exploitation of children.
To strengthen enforcement against digital platforms, MCMC has been proactively monitoring online content and submitting requests to service providers to remove material that violates the law.
“Under the Online Safety Act 2025, 23 takedown requests had been made as of July 15 this year, resulting in the removal of 22 pieces of content,” it said.
The ministry said individuals convicted under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for disseminating harmful content could face fines of up to RM500,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
Convicted individuals may also face an additional fine of RM5,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.
Where such offences are committed against children, the maximum jail term increases to five years, alongside fines of up to RM500,000 and an additional daily fine of RM5,000.
“These offences are also classified as seizable offences, enabling enforcement action to be taken more effectively to protect children from online exploitation and harm,” it said.
The ministry said child protection measures under the Online Safety Act had been strengthened through the Child Protection Code and Risk Mitigation Code, which came into force on June 1, 2026.
“The codes require licensed service providers to implement mitigation measures, including age verification, whereby users below the age of 16 are not permitted to register for or own social media accounts,” it said.
On digital literacy initiatives, the ministry said MCMC had conducted its Safe Internet Campaign at 10,303 schools and institutions of higher learning, as well as 2,143 community programmes, reaching 2,190,104 participants as of July 15.
Meanwhile, the police had also conducted 118 Child Awareness Campaign programmes nationwide between January and June this year, involving 51,364 participants, to raise awareness of child safety and the prevention of sexual exploitation.
