KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — The implementation of the age verification mechanism aims to ensure that those aged 16 and below do not have social media accounts in line with efforts to enhance digital security, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said.

She said the verification method would be determined later, which may include MyDigital ID, an identity card, or a passport.

“After that, we will not collect information on who the account user is, who the account owner is, or what their name is… the process is only limited to age verification,” she said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN-Setiu), who asked whether the Communications Ministry would clean up data on existing social media accounts after the age verification process was implemented

Teo said one of the main areas of focus for the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) at present is to assess and test the feasibility of user age verification mechanisms on social media platforms as part of the compliance requirements under the Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866).

She added that the assessment would look at user account security, personal data protection, privacy issues, technological accuracy and compliance with the country’s legal and regulatory framework.

For that purpose, Teo said the Regulatory Sandbox process is being implemented, with MCMC working together with social media platform providers to assess appropriate technological approaches.

“This includes age verification mechanisms, entity verification, and the use of artificial intelligence to detect risky content, as well as improving complaint handling mechanisms to be faster and more effective,” she said.

Teo said that following the assessment of the age verification mechanism and the Regulatory Sandbox process, the obligation to ensure that users aged 16 and below do not access social media accounts would rest with social media platform providers under the relevant subsidiary instruments.

She said this in response to a question from Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera) regarding the government’s proposal to regulate the age verification process for social media platforms, as it involves providing citizens’ personal details to foreign-based platforms. — Bernama