The stories shaping Malaysia, in focus.
Selangor is ramping up child protection efforts across its 1.8 million youth population through a new advocacy programme. The state recorded 2,306 child-related cases in the first six months of 2024, prompting intensified multi-agency collaboration.
More than 20 countries are banning or restricting social media for children, with Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia already enforcing laws. The trend reflects growing global concern over online harms to young people.
Eight students have been remanded in connection with a violent confrontation that erupted following accusations regarding artificially manipulated intimate imagery. The incident highlights rising tensions around digital abuse and deepfake technology among young people.
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 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.
Malaysian law enforcement has confiscated more than 700 kilogrammes of vape products containing banned substances since 2023, leading to 585 arrests across 400 cases. Seizures have accelerated dramatically in 2025.
Meta Platforms disclosed that four US states are demanding $1.4 trillion in penalties over allegations it designed social media platforms to addict youth. The August trial in Oakland will examine claims Meta violated consumer protection and children's privacy laws.
Australia is cracking down on social media companies with tougher penalties and expanded regulatory powers to enforce its ban on under-16s using platforms, citing widespread non-compliance despite millions of accounts already removed.
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.