PUTRAJAYA: A teacher has lodged a complaint with Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil after receiving a WhatsApp message from a 10-year-old male pupil requesting inappropriate images.
The incident, which had occurred at the school, involved a Year Four pupil.
"There was a teacher… I am not sure how she got my phone number, but she contacted me and complained that her pupil had sent her a message requesting inappropriate pictures from her.
"The pupil is a Year Four student, so he is definitely under the age of 16," he said at a press conference held in conjunction with the Safe Internet Campaign Mega Carnival today.
Present at the event were Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching and the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah.
Fahmi said the case raised serious concerns, particularly as WhatsApp sets a minimum user age of 16.
"WhatsApp itself imposes a restriction (usage above 16 years), but it does not allow children under 16 to use WhatsApp.
"So the question is why did it happen on WhatsApp, how could such a thing happen? There are many examples, but this is one that is very close to me because it came to me," he added.
When asked whether the Education Ministry had been informed, Fahmi said the ministry was already aware of the complaint.
"I believe the Education Ministry is aware of such matters," he said.
Fahmi said serious issues such as this should be addressed through the proposed restrictions on social media usage for children under the age of 16.
"We hope issues like this can be addressed with restrictions on social media and internet messaging systems such as WhatsApp," he said.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the ministry would look into coordinating with Law and Institutional Reform Minister (Prime Minister's Department) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said to update the sexual offenders registry with the upcoming online safety measures.
He said the Communications Ministry is currently working closely with the department on the implementation of the Online Safety Act.
"Other matters later, once the Act comes into force (on Jan 1), including aspects referred to as the sexual register, can also be included.
"The Online Safety Act will be reviewed by an online safety committee, which is under Datuk Seri Azalina.
"We have a representative on that committee, but it is the committee that will provide guidance to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, offering advice and perspectives on the implementation of the Online Safety Act.
"So, we may coordinate through the committee," he added.
On Thursday, Fahmi had said the government is developing regulations to ensure that children under the age of 16 are restricted from accessing online platforms and that content for users under 18 is age-appropriate.
Fahmi said these regulations are being drafted through the 10 subsidiary instruments under the Online Safety Act 2025, aimed at addressing issues related to the protection of children online, including age-appropriate content for child users.
Between Jan 1, 2022 and Oct 15, 2025, MCMC submitted 1,521 requests to platform providers to remove harmful or extremely harmful content involving children.
Ninety-six per cent, or 1,456 pieces of such content, were removed by the platforms in accordance with community guidelines and relevant local laws. - NST
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