Malaysia, Indonesia to expand online child safety cooperation, seek Singapore’s involvement

Bali, October 20 — Malaysia and Indonesia have reached an agreement to establish inter-agency cooperation at the implementation level to tackle online child safety issues. In addition, they plan to involve Singapore in the collaboration. Communications Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, emphasized that online safety, especially concerning children, is an important issue that requires collective attention from countries in the region.

He mentioned that a trilateral meeting involving Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore could be held in December, depending on the schedules. Fahmi stated that despite different laws and implementation approaches among ASEAN countries, the joint initiative of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore could encourage other countries in the region to take part.

He also appreciated Meutya's intention to enhance cooperation between Malaysia's Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Indonesia's Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry. MCMC's experience in managing public complaints related to social media would be beneficial for Indonesian authorities, Fahmi added. At the same time, Singapore's Digital Development and Information Minister, Josephine Teo, discussed telecommunications developments and online safety for children and young people with Fahmi during an impromptu meeting at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Monday.

Teo shared her hope of hosting Fahmi in Singapore soon. Fahmi, who attended Bali Tech Week 2026, joined the meeting after delivering a keynote address at the event. Accompanying him were MCMC Deputy Managing Director (Regulatory) Datuk Dr Mohamed Sulaiman Sultan Suhaibudden and First Secretary (Economics) of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, Fakhrul Arifin Mohammad Zulkifly.