Malaysia has now announced that it is planning to ban the use of social media for children under the age of 16 years starting next year. As reported by Reuters, the Malaysian government is working on to soon join the list of countries that are either tightening rules or are imposing a ban on the use of social media by children. Fahmi Fadzil, the communication minister of Malaysia said that the government is framing a legislation which will make it illegal for the children below 16 years of age to make or maintain a social media account on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

Along with this, Fadzil also added that the Malaysian government is taking this step in order to protect young children from online threats such as exploitation, cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content.

Malaysia’s neighbor Indonesia said in January it planned to set a minimum age for social media users, but later issued a less stringent regulation requiring tech platforms to filter negative content and impose stronger age verification measures.

Malaysia has put social media companies under greater scrutiny in recent years in response to what it claims to be a rise in harmful content, including online gambling and posts related to race, religion and royalty.

Platforms and messaging services with more than 8 million users in Malaysia are now required to obtain a license under a new regulation that came into effect in January.