Malaysia Joins the “Put the Phone Down” Club: No Social Media for Kids Under 16

First, Australia said “enough.”

Now, Malaysia has jumped on the digital discipline train too.

Starting next year, Malaysia will officially ban children under 16 from using social media as part of its new Online Safety Act 2025 — a law designed to protect kids from harmful online content and rein in the Wild West of the internet.

In other words: your kid’s TikTok addiction would now be illegal. Parents everywhere just whispered, “Is it too late for Canada to try this?”

The move comes as more countries grow seriously alarmed by how social media is impacting kids’ mental health, self-esteem and overall grasp on reality. (No, your 11-year-old does NOT need contouring tips and a skincare routine that costs more than your hydro bill.)

RELATED: We May Have Peaked on Social Media 

Heavy hitters like TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta (aka Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) are already facing lawsuits in the U.S. for allegedly contributing to the youth mental health crisis.

Meanwhile, countries like France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece are testing new age-verification systems to make sure kids aren’t just clicking “Yes, I’m 27” while wearing Paw Patrol pyjamas.

Malaysia is making it clear: childhood is for scraped knees, weird craft projects and dramatic door slams — not doom-scrolling and influencer breakdowns at 2 a.m.

So the real question is…
If teens can’t use social media, who exactly is going to keep us updated on their emotional devastation over a broken charger?

Things Kids Under 16 Will Finally Have To Do Instead of Doom-Scrolling

• Actually talk to their parents (experts predict teen eye-rolls will increase 400%)
• Discover what “going outside” means
• Start dramatic group chats via handwritten notes again
• Learn the ancient art of being bored
• Rediscover hobbies that don’t involve a ring light
• Use their phone for its original purpose: texting “k” and “idk.”
• Make personality traits not based on TikTok astrology
• Sleep. Like... real sleep.
• Realize mirrors exist without filters
• Speak in full sentences instead of algorithm phrases
• Touch grass (literally, emotionally, spiritually)