A parliamentary select committee on women, children and community development has sharply criticised the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for its “glaring shortcomings” in regulating online gaming and pornography, issues that affect minors and internet users at large. The report, published on 2 December 2025, calls into question both the commission’s financial commitment and its overall capacity to safeguard internet safety.
Full Scope of the Criticism Against MCMC
The critique comes from a parliamentary select committee — officially the Special Select Committee on Women and Children Affairs and Social Development — which reviewed MCMC’s handling of online harms. Their report condemns MCMC for “glaring shortcomings” in monitoring online gaming, pornography, and harmful digital content that disproportionately impact children.
According to the committee’s chair, Yeo Bee Yin (PH–Puchong), the committee found that while MCMC’s annual income over the period 2019–2023 ranged between RM 1.2 billion and RM 1.6 billion, the financial allocation and human resources dedicated to online-safety monitoring were minimal.
At the time of the review, MCMC reportedly had only 56 officers assigned to monitor online risks, including pornography, exploitative content, and harmful gaming platforms. The committee further noted that monitoring is still largely manual, relying on keyword searches rather than automated or AI-based tools. The committee’s concern is that such a skeletal monitoring workforce is insufficient given the scale and complexity of digital threats facing children today.
Findings on Impact on Youth
During its hearings, the committee reviewed data suggesting a troubling correlation between early exposure to online pornography or explicit digital content and subsequent risky sexual behaviour among adolescents. The committee revealed that nearly 90% of adolescents who reportedly engaged in repeat sexual activity had first been exposed to explicit content through social media, gaming, or unregulated digital platforms at a young age.
The committee flagged three major gaps in the current approach to digital safety for children:
- Enforcement capacity is weak because of legal constraints and resource limitations.
- Non-compliance or lack of cooperation by global content platforms reduces the reach and effectiveness of local regulation.
- MCMC’s monitoring capabilities remain inadequate in both scale and technological sophistication.
Recognising that digital exposure can affect mental health, the committee called for broader systemic changes — not just regulation, but also preventive measures and support structures for youth mental wellness.
Recommendations: Mental Health, Oversight, Awareness and Legal Reform
The committee recommended that the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (NCEMH) under the Health Ministry be formally designated as the national focal point for digital safety and mental-health issues tied to online exposure. This agency would work with the Education Ministry and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Among its proposed responsibilities: regular mental-health screening in schools, training for teachers and counsellors to recognise issues like digital addiction or social anxiety, and running awareness campaigns.
It also urged the government — particularly the Finance Ministry — to allocate dedicated funding and expand human resources across relevant agencies, rejecting any notion that “insufficient funding or staffing” remains a valid excuse. For enforcement, the committee recommended that MCMC double its monitoring funding, adopt advanced technology (including AI-based monitoring), and grow its workforce. It also called on MCMC and relevant ministries to launch a nationwide digital-safety awareness campaign so parents and children alike understand online risks and how to protect themselves.
Given high rates of statutory-rape cases involving minors and consensual relationships between teenagers, the committee further urged the Ministry of Home Affairs Malaysia to study amendments to Sections 375 and 376 of the Penal Code to ensure accountability is applied more fairly.
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