Malaysia cracks down on TikTok to enforce age verification for protecting minors
Malaysia, which has seen a sharp rise in harmful online content, has intensified scrutiny of global social media firms.
ADVERTISEMENT
Malaysia has called on TikTok to introduce stricter age verification mechanisms to protect young users from harmful content, after summoning the platform's top management for urgent talks, Reuters reported.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he was "very dissatisfied" with TikTok's progress in addressing the spread of dangerous material but confirmed that the company would be allowed to collaborate with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and police to resolve the issue.
"There needs to be a mechanism for age verification ... we leave it to TikTok as well as the MCMC and the police to study this," Fahmi told reporters following the meeting at police headquarters, Reuters added.
TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Malaysia, which has seen a sharp rise in harmful online content, has intensified scrutiny of global social media firms. Authorities plan to summon executives from X and Meta Platforms - the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp - for similar discussions.
Since January, Malaysia has required platforms with more than eight million users to obtain a licence, under a new law aimed at strengthening digital governance. Fahmi warned that penalties would be imposed if companies failed to comply with safety measures.
As per the report, the country defines harmful content broadly, including online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying, and material involving race, religion, or royalty.
Globally, regulators are increasingly alarmed about the impact of social media on children's mental health.
Australia banned children under 16 from social media last year, while Britain introduced mandatory age verification for sites hosting pornography and harmful content in July. France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Greece are jointly testing a model for an age verification app, the report added.
