INFLUENCERS SHOULD HELP SPREAD POSITIVE VALUES, NOT MERELY CHASING SENSATIONS – FAHMI

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has reminded influencers who are now able to shape the thinking of the younger generation, to shoulder a greater responsibility to carry content that is honest and ethical as well as messages of goodness.

Fahmi stressed that influencers need to be more careful in producing content so as not to undermine the confidence of young viewers in the information presented.

"I could see a trend among young people, that they like to watch TikTok but don't trust it too much. They rarely watch TV but trust it more. This is a rather unique phenomenon, but I hope that if we can work together to produce content that is not only ethical but has a good message.

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"Thus I am asking influencers or those who aspire to be influencers, to produce good content," he said when speaking at the MADANI Moyog Youth Training Workshop at the National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI) in Kampung Inobong, here today.

Also present were National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib and Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for Moyog constituency Remysta Jimmy Taylor.

At the same time Fahmi said the government saw the need to tighten access to social media among children under 16 years of age following the findings of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) on the increase in sexual crime and fraud cases which stems from digital platforms.

“On the government side, we see the need for us to start putting up ‘fences’ to prevent children under 16 from using social media… criminals have migrated en masse to these platforms.

“A few months ago, we heard about an operation, called Op Pedo, in which 31 men, aged between 12 and 71… were arrested for possessing more than 800,000 files of sexual crimes against children,” he said.

He also expressed concern over the ‘doomscrolling’ phenomenon which he said could cause addiction and affect the moral development and daily focus of teenagers.

-- BERNAMA