Malaysia to introduce new rules to protect youth on online platforms

KUALA LUMPUR, May ‌22 (Reuters) - Malaysia ​will ​introduce new measures from June 1 to protect children and reduce their exposure to harmful ‌content on online platforms, its communications regulator said ⁠on Friday.

The new rules will require online service providers ‌to include safeguards that limit ‌account registration and ownership by users under the age of 16, as well as implement stronger ​content governance on their platforms, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said in a statement.

• ⁠The measures are aimed at providing age-appropriate protections and restrictions for high-risk ​features on online platforms, the commission said.

• Online platform providers will be required to ​have "effective reporting and response mechanisms, ‌advertiser verification measures and the labelling of manipulated content where appropriate," the commission ⁠added.

• A grace period will be provided for online platforms to implement the measures, the commission said, without ⁠specifying the duration.

• Malaysia has in recent years stepped up scrutiny ​of social media companies after finding a sharp rise in harmful online content. Malaysian authorities consider online gambling, scams, ‌child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty ‌as harmful.

• The government plans age verification for users ⁠this year, following similar ‌moves around the ​world to limit social media use among minors.

(Reporting by Danial Azhar; Editing by David ‌Stanway)

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