KUALA LUMPUR — Support for restricting children’s access to social media has surged in Malaysia, with 81% of Gen Z respondents backing a ban for children under 14, a sharp increase from 67% a year earlier.
The finding highlights growing concern among younger adults about the risks children face online, including harmful content, misinformation, cyberbullying and excessive social media use.
Support Rises Across Generations
The increase was not limited to Gen Z. Support among Generation X rose to 86%, while 85% of Millennials backed the proposed under-14 restriction.
Across Malaysia’s adult population, support reached 83%, up from 72% in 2025. Malaysia ranked second among the 31 countries surveyed, behind Indonesia at 90%, and well above the global average of 73%.
The survey questioned adults aged 18 to 74, meaning the Gen Z results represent young adults reflecting on their own experiences with social media rather than children who would directly be affected by the proposed restriction.
Malaysia Already Has Tougher Under-16 Rules
The debate comes as Malaysia has already moved toward stricter controls. Since June 1, platforms with at least eight million users in the country have been required to prevent people under 16 from creating social media accounts and introduce age-verification measures. Major platforms affected include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
The government has said the measures are intended to strengthen protections against harmful content, cyberbullying and features that can encourage excessive use.
However, enforcement remains a challenge. Reports have found that some children have continued accessing platforms by providing false ages, while questions remain over how companies will implement age verification without creating additional privacy and data-security risks.
Growing Pressure for Stronger Online Protection
The latest survey suggests that public support for age restrictions is strengthening as concerns over children’s digital exposure grow.
At the same time, age limits alone may not solve the problem. Effective enforcement could depend on cooperation between technology companies, parents, schools and regulators, particularly as children find ways around account restrictions.
The sharp rise in support among Gen Z is especially notable because this generation grew up alongside social media and may have firsthand experience of both its benefits and its potential risks, including the growing spread of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation.
With Malaysia already enforcing an under-16 framework, the latest figures could add momentum to the broader debate over whether even younger children should be prevented from accessing social media altogether.
