Key facts
- Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore have enacted new child online safety laws.
- Malaysia's law bans accounts for under-16s with age verification via national ID or passport.
- Indonesia's PP Tunas restricts under-16 access to eight named platforms.
- Singapore requires app stores to implement age assurance for users under 18.
- Singapore's new laws allow individuals to sue for harms like online harassment and doxxing.
Southeast Asian nations are increasingly implementing stringent regulations to protect children online, with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore leading the charge. These laws aim to address the risks posed by social media and digital platforms to minors.
Malaysia's Online Safety Act, effective January 1, 2026, mandates that platforms with eight million or more users comply with risk mitigation and child protection codes. The child protection code includes a ban on accounts for individuals under 16, requiring age verification through national identity documents or passports. This approach has raised questions about privacy and exclusion for children.
Indonesia's Government Regulation 17 of 2025, known as PP Tunas, took effect on March 28, 2026. It restricts under-16 access to eight named platforms. An initial six-month evaluation indicated that approximately 28 million child accounts had been restricted, with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs publicly identifying at least one platform for slow compliance. Indonesia, with the largest child population among the three, has shown a clear willingness to name non-compliant platforms.
Singapore's approach is more regulator-led and incremental. Its Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services, effective March 31, 2025, requires major app stores like Apple, Google, Huawei, Samsung, and Microsoft to implement age assurance from April 1, 2026. Additionally, the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 established an Online Safety Commission, operational since June 29, 2026, providing a mechanism for individuals to request the removal of harmful content. The act also introduced statutory torts allowing victims to sue for specific online harms, including harassment, doxxing, and image-based child abuse.
Other countries in the region are also moving forward. The Philippines is expected to enact its Child Online Safety and Protection Act by the end of 2026, setting a minimum age of 16 for social media. Vietnam has required parental registration for under-16 accounts since December 2024, and Thailand is currently drafting similar legislation.