Platform accountability key to protecting children online

 Experts at the International Regulators Conference say online safety can no longer rest solely on families and educators.

The panellists at the International Regulators Conference 2026 in Kuala Lumpur today.

KUALA LUMPUR:

As children spend more time online, concerns are growing over risks such as cyberbullying, harmful content, scams and manipulation, prompting calls for digital platforms to play a greater role in safeguarding young users.

Speaking at a panel discussion titled “Online Safety by Design: Platform Accountability and Child Protection in an Age of User Vulnerability” here, Unicef Malaysia chief of child protection Saskia Blume said countries worldwide were increasingly adopting a “safety by design” approach, where platforms are expected to build safeguards into their systems from the outset.

She said the debate should not be framed as a choice between banning or allowing social media, but rather, as a question of how to ensure children can learn, explore and participate in digital spaces safely.

Drawing parallels with road safety, Blume said governments do not simply teach children how to cross roads safely but also require vehicles and infrastructure to meet safety standards.

“It is the same with online safety. We should not just equip children and young people with knowledge, but really look at the system overall to make it safer,” she said.

The panel was part of the International Regulators Conference 2026.

In his keynote address at the conference, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission commissioner Derek John Fernandez warned that danger once confined to the physical world has now entered homes through smartphones and social media.

Fernandez said MCMC receives at least two to three cases involving child sexual abuse material daily, alongside 1,708 cases involving other forms of online harm, including scams, fraud and cyberbullying.

“We need to protect children, and we need to keep them safe,” he said, noting that while countries may differ in how they regulate the digital space, child safety remains a common priority.

At the panel, policymakers and child advocates said responsibility for online safety could no longer rest solely on parents and educators.

G Thiyagu, the deputy director-general (law reform) at the legal affairs division of the prime minister’s department, said the Online Safety Act (ONSA) was introduced to address the growing influence of algorithms and recommendation systems that can amplify harmful content.

He said Malaysia’s previous legal framework had largely been reactive, focusing on investigations and prosecutions after harm had already occurred.

Under ONSA, platform providers are required to take proactive measures to create safer online environments, particularly for children, while balancing concerns over freedom of expression.

Thiyagu said the law’s success should not be measured by takedowns or enforcement actions alone, but whether families feel more confident allowing their children to navigate the digital world.

“We want to see a system that automatically gives greater confidence to families – that my child today is using the internet safely, with safer default settings and responsible recommendation systems,” he said.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chief children’s commissioner Farah Nini Dusuki said children should be included in discussions about policies that shape their online experiences.

“Why isn’t there a child in this panel? Or a young person at least? Because trust me, they will give you a different perspective based on what they experience,” she said.

Farah said a recent Suhakam survey on the proposed social media ban for those under 16 found that 68% of respondents supported the measure, despite assumptions that young people would oppose it.

Many respondents cited concerns over online harms, echoing warnings from law enforcement agencies about the growing number of offences involving children that originate on social media platforms.

Farah added that while Malaysia has many laws aimed at protecting children, implementation and enforcement remained a challenge.

The panellists agreed that while parents, schools and communities continued to play an important role, online safety must increasingly be built into the design of digital platforms.

They said the goal is not to keep children away from technology, but to ensure they can grow up safely in an increasingly digital world. - FMT