PUTRAJAYA: Communications Ministry plans to organise a roadshow with the Education Ministry nationwide to raise awareness about underage children's social media usage.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he had contacted the office of the Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek regarding this initiative.

"We aim to collaborate with several parties to organise an awareness campaign or tour among Parent-Teacher Associatio

ns (PTAs), especially teachers and students.

"Those in primary school from standard 1 to 6 should not have TikTok accounts as this actually violates the basic common guidelines for the platform," he told reporters at National News Agency (Bernama) corporate social responsibility event here today.

Fahmi said the ministry is examining steps needed to ensure children under 13 years old do not have social media accounts.

This, he said, is because many parents are not aware of the basic age limit that children under 13 are prohibited to have social media.

He said the minimum age limit to have an account on social media platforms is at least 13 years old, a regulation often overlooked by many.

Fahmi said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission recently announced that they had blocked five TikTok accounts that were spreading false teachings.

"This is quite worrying because we don't know if children with devices and TikTok accounts are exposed to such content.

"At the same time, we know there are influencers who may have different views. For young children, they may not yet understand sarcasm, parody, and such.

"So, I am asking for cooperation from mothers and fathers to always be mindful and ensure that children under 13 do not use TikTok," he said.

On March 8, Fahmi said the ministry will work with the Education Ministry to raise awareness among parents to monitor their children's online activities. (https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/nation/2024/03/1023307/communications-mi...)

Fahmi said online safety, especially for children under the age of 13, must be enhanced following the existence of social media accounts that violate platform guidelines.

He said this issue has been raised by the MCMC with various social media platforms and cooperation is needed from both MCMC and the government.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/1032131/nationwide-roadshow-address-underage-social-media-usage