28/10/2025

TUESDAY | OCT 28, 2025

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‘Proposed social media ban must ensure user privacy’

Dept announces 50% discount on summonses for two months SUNGAI PETANI: Motorists have from Nov 1 to Dec 30 to pay off outstanding Road Transport Department summonses at a 50% discount. Its director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said the discount applies to all summonses, except those that are not eligible for compounding. He advised those with outstanding summonses to take advantage of the offer by settling payments at department counters or via the available online and payment channels. “We urge the public to take advantage of the two-month window to settle their summonses. “The discount applies to all types of summonses, except for the automated awareness safety system summonses, investigation notices and stamped summons notices, which have been in effect since early last year. “It does not cover summonses that cannot be compounded, such as those that must be brought to court,” he said during a special media conference on Op Gempur on Sunday. He also said no discounts would be offered for department and police summonses after the end of December. Aedy Fadly added that the department is conducting Op Perang Lebih Muatan from Oct 14 to Dec 31 to crack down on commercial vehicles carrying loads beyond the permitted limits. He said 27,300 vehicles have been inspected, of which 1,017 were found to carry excessive loads. He also said 1,696 drivers and vehicle owners were issued summonses under the Road Transport Act 1987, the Land Public Transport Act 2010 and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board Act 1987, while 96 lorries were impounded. He explained that most of the targeted vehicles were carrying materials such as stones, gravel, iron and similar items, particularly from hotspots such as quarries and steel factories where those vehicles frequently operate. – Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: A recent spate of school crimes, culminating in the fatal stabbing of a teenage girl by her schoolmate, has sparked calls for Malaysia to raise the minimum age for phone and social media use. Far from isolated incidents, the disturbing surge in youth violence has shaken parents and communities nationwide, exposing how unmonitored digital exposure is increasingly tied to disciplinary issues, cyberbullying and a worsening mental health crisis among students. At its meeting on Oct 17, the Cabinet proposed three measures to address safety issues in schools, including banning phone use among students aged 16 and below. The move aims to curb disciplinary problems and reduce the influence of social media and online games often linked to bullying and crime. While many parents and academics welcomed the proposal, public policy analyst Dr Tricia Yeoh said the ban and proposed age limit must be implemented carefully to protect user privacy. “I believe we should raise the internet adulthood age to 16 because there are many dark corners online that are dangerous for children to access, including hardcore pornography. “The government’s move is right, but it has to be done in a way that does not invade users’ privacy. There are ways to ban social media for those under 16 that do not involve electronic Know-Your-Customer (eKYC) verification and that is the right direction.” The University of Nottingham Malaysia associate professor of practice said alternatives such as “zero-knowledge proof”, already used in the tech industry, could prevent underage users from creating social media accounts without o Meaningful change requires coordinated action to reinforce child protection: Public policy analyst

Yeoh said protecting children in the digital era requires more than just parental vigilance. – AI BY AZURA ABAS/THESUN

to collectively withhold phones from children until they turn 16 years old, suggesting the use of “landline pods” for communication instead. “If parents could agree not to provide phones for children aged under 16, it would relieve peer pressure among children. But this needs collective community action. May the stabbing incident be a wake-up call for all of society,” she said. Clinical psychologist and mental health organisation Relate Malaysia founder Dr Chua Sook Ning echoed the urgency for reform, saying the government must act swiftly to limit social media use among children under 16. “Research shows that problematic social media use is linked to poor mental health outcomes. Parents need help through training programmes to set digital rules, apply content filters and talk to their children early about online use.”

exposing private data. She cited research by US social psychologist Professor Jonathan Haidt, whose book “The Anxious Generation” links the rise in depression and anxiety among adolescents between 2010 and 2020 to widespread phone adoption. “Haidt’s research found that phones and unrestricted access to digital platforms led to social deprivation, sleep loss, attention fragmentation and addiction.” Yeoh stressed that protecting children in the digital era requires more than just parental vigilance, Bernama reported. “Meaningful change would require coordinated action across government, industry, schools and families, ensuring accountability, education and shared responsibility reinforce child protection,” she said. She also urged a nationwide “parents’ pact”