KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Parents mustn’t rely solely on platform providers to ensure their children’s digital safety, but take a proactive role and monitor their devices to protect them from cyber threats, said Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
He said this is essential to curb the risks of sexual crime and cyberbullying.
“We need to know what our children are watching. Giving a child a mobile phone is much like giving them a car; many things can happen if they are not properly supervised,” he said on Agenda Daily’s Agenda Malaysia podcast.
Fahmi said the concern is well founded and cited the recent arrest of 53 people under Op Pedo 2 and the seizure of more than 54,000 files linked to online child predation.
To protect children from paedophiles and cyberbullying, he urged parents to use available controls to limit device use and block high-risk applications, while discouraging “doomscrolling” on social media.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said social media platform providers could be fined up to RM10 million for each offence from early next year if they fail to comply with the Online Safety Act 2025.
He said the law is aimed at ensuring platform operators take responsibility for curbing fake accounts, online sexual offences and cyberbullying.
“When we have clear laws in place, platforms that do business and generate revenue from online activities in Malaysia must cooperate. We are giving them time, but I hope it will not come to the point where we have to impose fines,” he said.
On identity verification for social media accounts, Fahmi said every citizen has official documents, such as MyKid and MyKad, which can be used to verify whether a social media user is aged 16 or above.
He said this is crucial amid the growing number of fake social media accounts, which could be exploited by criminals to deceive victims and facilitate fraud and illegal gambling.
“Nearly 90 per cent of the content the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has asked platforms to remove was linked to scams and online gambling,” he said.
To curb online scams targeting groups like retirees and civil servants, Fahmi urged victims to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 within 15 to 30 minutes of the incident so the transaction may be blocked.
“We should treat a call to the NSRC at 997 in the same way as calling an ambulance, as it is an emergency situation. If the call is made within 15 to 30 minutes, God willing, Bank Negara can block the funds from being withdrawn through mule accounts,” Fahmi said.
