The stories shaping Malaysia, in focus.
Three women, two of them underage, have been formally charged with dangerous riding after executing 'Superman' motorcycle stunts that gained viral attention on social media.
With polling day set for August 1, candidates contesting Negeri Sembilan's state election are leveraging social media platforms to connect with nearly 900,000 registered voters, employing age-tailored digital strategies across Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
France has become the first European Union country to prohibit social media use among children under 15, after parliament approved legislation with strong majorities in both chambers this week.
Kuala Lumpur police have arrested four 14-year-old boys in connection with a brutal assault on a teenager in Cheras that sparked outrage after videos circulated online early this month.
Facebook experienced a significant service disruption affecting users worldwide, including Malaysia, starting mid-afternoon on July 19. The outage prevented users from logging in and refreshing feeds, particularly on desktop browsers.
Police in Kuantan have apprehended three teenage girls responsible for a risky motorcycle stunt that garnered widespread attention online. The dangerous 'Superman' manoeuvre involved riding along a busy bypass road, raising fresh safety concerns.
Controversial internet personalities Andrew and Tristan Tate have been taken into custody in Miami by US Marshals following fresh allegations of rape and sex trafficking brought by UK prosecutors.
The UN's communications chief has called on young people to help combat misinformation while demanding that governments regulate digital platforms more actively to curb the spread of false information and hate speech online.
The UK government plans to enforce a default midnight-to-6am curfew on social media for teenagers aged 16-17, with users needing to manually change settings to access apps outside these hours. The move follows an earlier proposal to ban social media for under-16s.
The Malaysian Army has rejected viral allegations of rape against one of its soldiers, asserting that internal investigations contradict the accusations. The military body maintains its findings differ substantially from claims spreading through social media channels.
A UK government-commissioned trial involving 309 households found teenagers experienced improved sleep, concentration and mood under social media restrictions, though enforcing limits proved challenging as young people bypassed controls.
Australia's online safety regulator has raised alarms about a spike in sexual extortion scams targeting young men through social media, revealing significant vulnerabilities in how tech platforms tackle the problem.
Meta has appealed a landmark Los Angeles verdict finding its platforms deliberately designed to addict young users. The jury awarded a 20-year-old woman US$3mil in damages, with recommendations for additional punitive damages.
Police in Perlis have arrested a social media influencer accused of raping a 14-year-old girl and producing sexually explicit imagery without consent at a residential property in Kangar.
A 23-year-old Chinese man with 60,000 social media followers was detained after illegally skydiving from a residential building in Sichuan province to boost his online presence, prompting authorities to warn about the dangers of unauthorized extreme activities.
Malaysia's Election Commission has announced plans to investigate voters who post photos of their marked ballots online, addressing growing concerns about electoral integrity and social media misuse during voting periods.
The European Commission has charged Meta with breaching digital rules through addictive features on Instagram and Facebook, demanding changes to autoplay and infinite scroll functions or face substantial penalties.
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Malaysia's Social Welfare Department has strongly cautioned the public against publishing children's identities on social media, warning of legal consequences and long-term psychological damage following a recent school-related viral incident.
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Political candidates across all major coalitions are making aggressive final pushes on social media platforms as the Johor state election approaches, targeting youth and undecided voters with creative content and live engagement.
Malaysia's Communications Minister has urged social media platforms to take stronger action against misinformation surrounding the Johor state election, particularly on polling day, warning that the spread of false results could confuse voters.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has emphasised the need to strengthen the Malaysian Media Council as a self-regulatory body, urging both traditional media organisations and social media platforms to join the council to address media-related issues responsibly.
Social media influencer Marissa Dania has dismissed claims that she has marginalised her mother Abby Abadi in preference for her father Norman Hakim and stepmother Memey Suhaiza, urging the public to avoid hasty judgments.
Malaysian police have called on the public to refrain from sharing an older controversy involving complaints about the dawn azan disrupting sleep in Sungai Buloh, which has recently gained renewed attention on social media platforms.
Police have appealed to the public to refrain from spreading an old controversy about the Subuh azan allegedly disturbing residents in Sungai Buloh after the matter regained traction on social media platforms.
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Tawau police have apprehended 10 teenage boys in connection with the alleged assault of four schoolchildren, after a video of the incident circulated on social media platforms and drew widespread public outrage.
India has directed Meta Platforms to eliminate child sexual abuse material from Instagram and Facebook, following a BBC investigation that exposed such content in advertisements. The order represents intensifying regulatory pressure on the tech giant across multiple fronts.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has publicly rejected suggestions that a man featured in a viral social media post works for the agency, amid growing misinformation about MACC personnel.
The bikini turns 80 this year, marking eight decades since it sparked outrage as immoral swimwear. Today's micro-designs push minimalism to extremes, raising new questions about what constitutes a bikini in an era of social media visibility.
An Ayer Keroh court has charged an online seller with possessing pornography and distributing digitally altered intimate photographs of another woman via social media, highlighting growing concerns over image-based abuse.
TikTok has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a 15-year-old Florida teenager alleging the platform damaged his mental health through addictive features. The deal follows earlier settlements with YouTube and leaves Meta and Snapchat as remaining defendants in the closely watched trial.
French President Emmanuel Macron and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have issued a joint call for tighter regulation of digital platforms, citing growing concerns about their impact on children's health and development worldwide.
FIFA's digital protection service uncovered 89,000 abusive social media posts during the World Cup group stage—a 13-fold increase from Qatar 2022—with racial abuse comprising 11% of all detected offensive content.
TikTok has settled a lawsuit brought by a minor who alleged the platform damaged his mental health, a development that comes as California courts examine social media's role in youth mental health crises.
TikTok has agreed in principle to settle a lawsuit filed by a 15-year-old Florida boy who alleged the platform's addictive design harmed his mental health. The settlement comes as social media companies face thousands of similar claims across US courts.
PKR leader Saifuddin Ahmad has secured a default judgment in his defamation suit against an online commenter who falsely claimed he directed anti-corruption agencies to investigate Kedah Darul Aman FC.
A US federal judge has rejected Meta's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by dozens of state attorneys general alleging that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately designed to be addictive to children.
The US House passed legislation to protect children online, but faces pushback from senators demanding stricter accountability measures for tech companies. The competing bills highlight ongoing tensions over how to regulate social media.
A 19-year-old French national in Singapore is expected to plead guilty on July 13 to charges of mischief and public nuisance after allegedly licking a straw from a vending machine and uploading the incident to social media.
TikTok and YouTube have deactivated 4.7 million accounts belonging to Indonesian children under 16 as part of the government's push to curb youth exposure to digital harms.
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Badrul Hisham Shaharin, known as Chegubard, has pleaded not guilty to sedition charges stemming from social media posts concerning Negeri Sembilan's royal family, marking another legal test of free speech boundaries in Malaysia.
Activist Badrul Hisham Shaharin, known as Chegubard, has pleaded not guilty in Seremban Sessions Court to sedition charges connected with Facebook posts targeting the Negri Sembilan Royal Institution.
Malaysia's Online Safety Act 2025 will require social media platforms to verify user ages or face penalties up to RM10 million, Parliament heard this week.
Malaysia's Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has outlined strict age-verification requirements for social media platforms under the Child Protection Code, which took effect on June 1. The framework mandates platforms use official government documents to verify users are at least 16 years old.
YouTube has settled a lawsuit filed by a Florida teenager who alleged the platform harmed his mental health through addictive design. The move comes as over 5,900 addiction claims proceed against social media companies across multiple jurisdictions.
The Dewan Rakyat is addressing water resource expansion in Johor, bolstering the Malaysia Competition Commission's market oversight role, and clarifying social media age verification protocols in today's sitting.
The European Commission is intensifying its investigation into Meta, preparing findings that accuse Facebook and Instagram of deliberately addictive design practices that exploit young users, with regulatory curbs under consideration.
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Malaysia's police force has initiated disciplinary proceedings against an officer whose video circulated widely in China. The Inspector-General of Police has reinforced that every member of the force faces accountability for their conduct.
A Thai man has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for a comment posted in a Facebook monarchy discussion group, marking another conviction under Thailand's strict lèse-majesté laws that continue to spark international concern.
The United Arab Emirates has announced a cabinet resolution banning social media use for children under 15, joining Australia, Britain, and several other nations in restricting youth access to platforms over mental health and safety concerns.
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Kelantan's Regent Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra met with Foreign Minister Fahmi to tackle the growing problem of fraudulent social media accounts and address current challenges facing the state.
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris has distanced itself from a viral poster about registering 'saudara baharu' or converts, stating the June 15 material was never submitted for approval and circulated outside official channels.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a ban on social media use for under-16s, along with curbs on chatbots and curfews for older teenagers. The announcement comes before he travels to the G7 summit in France.
Florida has filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform of violating state law designed to protect children under 14. The case centres on allegations that TikTok allows underage users to create accounts and misrepresents harmful content exposure.