KUCHING: Malaysia is pushing for stronger cooperation among ASEAN countries to tackle digital threats facing children today.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said they must stand together, share what works, and build safer digital ecosystems across the region.
“Technology is reshaping how children learn, connect and discover the world,” she said at the ‘ASEAN ICT Forum on Child Online Protection 2025’.
The forum was opened by Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in Kuala Lumpur today.
“But alongside opportunities come real risks – cyberbullying, misinformation, grooming, exploitation, and the emotional toll of being always online,” said Nancy.
“These challenges do not stop at borders; our solutions cannot stop at borders either.”
The annual forum was co-hosted by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and the Ministry of Communications, in collaboration with ASEAN and supported by UNICEF.
It also marked the launch of Malaysia’s National Child Policy Action Plan, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to advance every child’s rights and protection in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Ahmad Zahid said that children must be protected without limiting their potential.
“Malaysia holds to one clear principle. We do not want to disconnect them from technology; we want to empower them to use it safely and confidently. A child must be free to learn, to explore, and to imagine, but free safely, not free to be exploited.
“This is why Malaysia is strengthening a whole-of-government approach that unites ministries, regulators, educators, parents, communities, and technology companies,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid emphasised that safety and freedom must coexist, noting that a child cannot thrive if they are unsafe, nor succeed if they are unprepared.
“Our duty is to ensure they have both protection and opportunity. In Malaysia, online child sexual exploitation and abuse remain a growing concern,” he said.
According to the ‘Disrupting Harm’ study, one in 25 children aged 12 to 17 in Malaysia has experienced online sexual exploitation and abuse, including being blackmailed, coerced or having their private images shared without consent.
Only three per cent of Malaysian schoolchildren would use existing reporting channels, highlighting the urgent need for a safer digital environment that protects all children.
The discussions at the forum will support implementation of the next ‘Regional Plan of Action on Child Online Protection (2026 to 2030)’, setting a shared direction for governments, industries and communities to work hand in hand with children, creating digital spaces that are not only safe by design but empowering by choice.
