Cultural shift needed to strengthen online safety, say experts

New online safety laws will fall short unless platforms are redesigned and adults play a greater role in safeguarding children online.

Crime prevention specialist Shamir Rajadurai said children’s accounts should automatically have the strictest settings, including limited contact with strangers, stronger filters, and tighter controls on who could see or message them. (Envato Elements pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 As Malaysia moves ahead with new laws such as the Online Safety Act, experts say legal reform alone will not be enough to protect children unless it is accompanied by a cultural shift that places greater responsibility on adults, platforms, and communities.

Shamir Rajadurai, crime prevention specialist at Prevent Crime Now and AntiBuli.My, told FMT that platforms must stop treating safety as an “add-on”, and instead, embed it into their design.

He said children’s accounts should automatically have the strictest settings, including limited contact with strangers, stronger filters, and tighter controls on who could see or message them, he said.

“It is safety by design. Don’t make a 13-year-old dig through settings to be safe,” he said.

“Act on patterns, not just complaints. Platforms already see when one child is being repeatedly targeted across comments and DMs. They shouldn’t wait for that child to be brave enough to report it. They should proactively step in and restrict abusive accounts.”

Madeleine Yong, founder of Protect and Save the Children, echoed calls for platform redesign that puts children first.

“Platforms need stronger age checks, safer default settings for children, faster removal of harmful content, and clear reporting tools that are easy for young people to use,” she said.

It takes a village

Yong said another much-needed culture shift required parents and the wider community to band together to be more empathetic.

She said parents could help by learning how social media and apps work, setting clear but fair rules, and having regular, open conversations with their children about online behaviour, privacy, and boundaries.

Nazreen Nizam, executive director at Women’s Aid Organisation, noted that these conversations should be supportive of fostering transparency and bring about better insight into a child’s online activity.

She said parents should show curiosity rather than suspicion, ask open-ended questions, and avoid moral judgment.

“They should move away from fear-based approaches and practise trust, empathy, and shared responsibility,” Nazreen told FMT.

“Clear boundaries, consistent emotional availability, and respect for children’s feelings are key. When children know they will be listened to without punishment or ridicule, they are more likely to speak up early, before harm escalates into serious abuse or trauma.”

While parents played a crucial role, Yong said, responsibility must also be shared with the wider community and the online platforms children used every day.

She stressed that children were better protected online when parents, communities, schools, authorities, and platforms worked together.

Yong also said that all stakeholders should reinforce the same messages about online safety, consent, and how to report harm. She said this would ensure that children heard consistent messaging from more than one trusted adult. - FMT