Malaysia’s social media account ban for under-16s kicks in on Jun 1, but questions remain
Malaysian families have varying views. In Kuala Lumpur, Saravanan Ganasan and Jayaradha Veerasamy, whose children are 12 and 15, said they approve of the changes. They had already banned their kids from using social media, believing minors lack the psychological capacity to cope with it. Devices are kept out of bedrooms, screen time is limited to common areas and their son is not allowed to lock his phone with a password. “Exposure is what we fear,” Saravanan said. “The wrong kind of exposure will do damage to the mind.” Aadhavan Saravanan, 15, said he believes he would be addicted to social media if allowed full freedom. “Social media is, like, a luxury and it’s not a necessity,” he said. The couple said the restrictions have forced their children to develop offline life skills. Aadhavan reads books in a backyard mango tree and repairs broken household appliances, while their daughter cooks and does crafts. “A lot of parents are very scared that children get bored,” Jayaradha said. “But boredom is actually very good because they start …
