News & Reviews:   teens

Meta Newsroom has announced a new set of parental supervision features across Instagram and Facebook aimed at giving parents greater visibility into how teenagers interact with recommendation algorithms and online content. The update expands Meta’s existing family supervision tools as global scrutiny around teen social media safety, mental health, and algorithmic influence continues to intensify.

Instagram is rolling out enhanced safety features for teens in Malaysia, introducing an updated 13+ content rating system alongside a new Limited Content setting aimed at providing stronger parental controls.

In early January, we reported that MCMC planned to ban under-16s from social media this year. We have another new update today, as news sources report that the government is preparing to implement a minimum age requirement for social media accounts, which is expected to come into effect as early as July 2026, subject to completion of ongoing preparatory work.

One of the biggest news stories to kick off this week was the Malaysian government's decision to ban Malaysian teens under 16 from creating social media accounts. That being said, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching also confirmed that parents will not be penalised if their children under 16 create or use social media accounts.

We have reported on this news before, but it seems that the possibility has turned into reality. The Malaysian government has announced a target of 2026 for rolling out a ban that will prevent children aged under 16 from creating social media accounts.

With the many recent controversies surrounding Roblox, the company is introducing a major update to its safety system: millions of users — especially teens aged 13 and over — will now be prompted to verify their age using a video selfie. The company is working with identity-verification firm Persona to analyse facial features and estimate how old a person is.

 As we reported before, the Malaysian government is reviewing a proposal to require electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) identity verification for all social media users. According to Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, the move aims to strengthen online safety and accountability as part of Malaysia’s broader digital governance framework.

Malaysia is moving closer to enforcing stricter rules for social media platforms, requiring them to implement age verification and identity checks for all users. The move, announced by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, aims to protect children online and curb the growing threat of digital scams and harmful content.

Meta is enforcing its largest-ever safety policy update on Instagram, setting a new PG-13 content baseline for users under 18. This move aims to shield teens from exposure to explicit material, aligning Instagram’s content moderation with movie-style age ratings.