June 19, 2025
PETALING JAYA – Forcing Malaysian parents to monitor their children’s devices might sound like a step towards safeguarding the digital realm, yet cybersecurity experts warn it could backfire.
Without a robust educational push, especially in tech-challenged communities, they say proposed amendments to the Online Safety Act 2024 risk widening the digital divide and straining family ties.
While recent incidents, such as the case of a 16-year-old student in Kulai, Johor, who was arrested on April 8 for selling deepfake pornographic images using artificial intelligence, highlight the critical need for effective online safety measures, experts warn that there are no easy fixes.
The proposal, still under development, would make it compulsory for parents not only to supervise their children’s digital activities, but also attend formal training in online safety.
While the intention is to protect minors from online harm, cybersecurity analyst Dr Azree Shahrel Ahmad Nazri cautions that the plan may be unworkable if deeper structural issues are not addressed.
“It’s not as simple as telling parents to monitor their children. From a cybersecurity standpoint, enforcement is fraught with privacy risks, technical gaps and ethical concerns,” Azree said.
He emphasised that well-meaning legislation could have unintended consequences if it overlooks the realities of households with minimal digital literacy or access to appropriate tools.
“If you want to legislate protection, you have to first equip people,” he stressed.
Azree argued that any new law must be accompanied by real support, such as free parental control apps, child-safe data plans and accessible training modules, especially for low-income or rural communities.
However, he warned that legal mandates alone would not work without trust-building approaches between parents and children.
To effectively address the complexities of digital parenting, fostering open communication and mutual understanding is crucial.
He recommended collaborative methods, such as using transparency-based supervision tools, co-writing digital use agreements, and watching online content together as a family.
“Digital parenting must evolve beyond fear-based control. It’s about equipping families, not policing them.”
Citing studies from the Pew Research Centre and Oxford Internet Institute, Azree said children tend to withdraw when parents rely on surveillance.
“But when supervision is transparent and built on communication, it fosters resilience, honesty, and better digital habits.”
Cybersecurity specialist Fong Choong Fook also believed imposing legal obligations on parents before building public awareness was both unrealistic and potentially counterproductive.
“Parental control software is available, but enforcing this nationwide and across different societal levels is very difficult,” he said.
Fong emphasised that digital safety must begin with education, not enforcement.
“The most important, most effective methods are still education and awareness.”
Earlier this month, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said confirmed the government was reviewing legal provisions under the Online Safety Act 2024.
The aim is to oblige parents and guardians to monitor their children’s online activity and attend digital safety awareness programmes.
She said the initiative aligned with the shared responsibility of protecting future generations from digital age sexual crimes.
On June 5, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil announced a special committee would soon clarify how these measures, part of broader child abuse prevention reforms, would be implemented.