Big changes are coming to how we use our favourite social media apps here in Malaysia.
Starting 1 June 2026, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is rolling out two new codes under the Online Safety Act: the Children’s Protection Code and the Risk Mitigation Code.
You will soon need to upload an official government ID, like a passport or IC, just to verify your age. The whole point is to stop kids under 16 from setting up accounts they should not have.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching pointed out that the current method of just clicking a box to say you are over 18 is way too easy to bypass. By requiring official documents, the government hopes to put a proper digital guardrail in place.
However, the MCMC is not forcing platforms to use one specific type of technology for this, so it is up to the social media companies to figure out how they will securely handle and process your data.
If you already have accounts on TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram, you do not need to panic just yet. The government has promised a reasonable grace period for existing users to get verified before any strict enforcement kicks in.
MCMC is currently chatting with the major platforms to iron out a realistic timeframe for this transition. That being said, if you skip the verification process entirely once the deadline hits, you might find your account shut down, or platforms might deploy artificial intelligence to double-check that you are actually over 16.