The government is looking into banning the use of smartphones for students aged 16 and below. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today expressed concern over digital addiction, the negative influence of social media and online games among teenagers in Malaysia
Through this ban, the tendency towards criminal behaviour can be reduced while at the same time restoring focus on education and morals. Before this ban is enforced, the government will study policies from other countries that have implemented similar bans. For now, the use of smartphones is still allowed but the government still plans to take stricter action.
The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of cooperation between parents, teachers and school administrators in shaping the morals and discipline of students. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek will discuss the issue in more detail later.
If Malaysia enforces this ban, it will make our country more tightly controlled than China, Vietnam and Australia. In China, developers of social media applications, video streaming and gaming are required to include built-in time limits for school students. Meanwhile, in Australia, the use of social media applications such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube is banned for users under the age of 16.
In the past two weeks, Malaysia has been rocked by incidents of rape and stabbing to death. These two high-profile incidents have raised questions about the level of safety of students in schools and why they can happen. The Ministry of Communications, for example, wants to introduce an eKYC system for the use of social media by underage users as one of the immediate steps that can be taken.
