Malaysia’s Gen Z leads surge in support for banning children from social media, Ipsos poll finds

KUALA LUMPUR, October 7 — Younger Malaysians, known as Gen Z, are at the forefront of a growing movement to restrict children's access to social media, according to a recent Ipsos poll. The survey showed that 81% of Gen Z Malaysians believe children under 14 should be prohibited from using social media both during and after school hours, a significant jump from 67% a year ago.

This represents the largest increase in support among all age groups surveyed. Support among older adults, such as Gen X and Millennials, also rose, with 86% of Gen X and 85% of Millennials backing the ban. Overall, 83% of Malaysian adults now favor the under-14 ban, up from 72% in 2023. Malaysia ranks second globally in support for social media age restrictions, behind only Indonesia, and significantly ahead of the global average of 73%.

The Ipsos researchers attribute this trend to Gen Z's firsthand experience of social media's downsides, such as AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation, which they see as posing greater risks to children today. The survey included adults aged 18 to 74, reflecting the perspectives of young adults on their own online experiences rather than those of the children directly affected.

Malaysia recently began enforcing stringent regulatory safeguards on June 1, requiring major platforms with at least eight million local users to implement robust age-verification systems. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) stated that these measures aim to improve platform accountability, citing evidence of minors facing online harm, exploitation, and abuse.

The survey, conducted among 501 adults from June 19 to July 3, also noted that age restrictions alone may not be enough to address the issue, with long-term effectiveness relying on cooperation among tech companies, parents, and educators.