The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced on June 1 that the Child Protection Code (CPC) and Risk Reduction Code (RMC), established under the 2025 Online Safety Act (ONSA), will take effect immediately. Under the statutory obligations of the CPC, all licensed social media service providers must carry out age verification for registered users, with a minimum registration age limit of 16. Verification must be based on official records issued by the government or equivalent identification documents recognized by the Malaysian government. The applicable platforms include all licensed social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Non-compliant parties will face regulatory and enforcement actions. Communications Minister Fahmi stated on the same day that social media platforms “must respect Malaysian law.”
For existing users, social media platforms will be given a transitional period of up to 6 months to progressively complete age verification. For existing users confirmed to be under 16, platforms must grant a one-month period for them to download or transfer data such as photos and videos before imposing restrictions or freezes. The RMC, which comes into effect simultaneously, requires providers to implement safeguards such as risk assessments, content moderation, user safety controls, and platform accountability. MCMC pointed out that the MyDigital ID (MyDigital Identity) digital identity system implemented by the Malaysian government will serve as one of the primary bases for age verification to reduce the risk of data breaches.