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The government just announced that starting 2026, anyone under 16 will not be allowed to open a social media account. Platforms will have to verify ages using MyKad, passport, or MyDigital ID. The aim? Protect children from online harm.
And yes, that’s necessary. Many teens under 16 are already on social media - some with parents’ knowledge, some sneaking around anyway. Either way, it opens the door to real problems: cyberbullying, harassment, scams, the constant bombardment of unrealistic beauty and perfection, and, in some cases, grooming and dangerous friendships with strangers they’ve met online.
With the Digital ID coming in, maybe some of this can finally be tackled. But here’s the kicker: there’s another problem no verification system can fix - parents themselves.
From Instagram accounts for toddlers to parents posting their child’s life on their own pages, we’ve created a generation of mini-celebrities who didn’t even get a say in the matter. Every meal, nap, tantrum, birthday, and school project is online, ready for likes, shares, and unsolicited opinions. While the government bans kids from joining social media, parents are happily doing the exact opposite: turning their children into content.
And age verification? Good luck with that. Parents are clever. Parents are persistent. Parents will find a way. A ban might stop some teens from creating accounts, but it won’t stop the oversharing happening every day in living rooms across the country.
So what do we actually need?
(1) We need digital literacy for kids and parents - because apparently teaching adults not to post every detail of their child’s life online is revolutionary.
(2) Parental accountability - shocking, I know. Maybe it’s time to stop confusing “oversharing” with “good parenting.”
A ban is a start. But let’s be honest: children aren’t being harmed because of Facebook, Instagram or TikTok alone. They’re being harmed because we adults haven’t figured out how to behave online.
So yes, we can block kids from opening accounts at 16. But until parents stop treating their children like reality-show stars, the problem will keep evolving - new apps, new trends, same oversharing.
Come on lah, parents - your kid’s life isn’t a TikTok series. Let them grow offline first!
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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