PROFESSIONAL SERVICES NEEDED TO ADDRESS CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH, DIGITAL SAFETY - YEO

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- Managing children's mental health requires professional services and systematic management and it cannot solely rely on teachers who are already overwhelmed with their core responsibilities, especially when addressing issues of mental health and children's digital safety in Malaysia.

Special Select Committee on Women, Children, and Community Development chairman Yeo Bee Yin,  during a briefing in the Dewan Rakyat today said one of the committee’s recommendations is to establish the National Centre of Excellence in Mental Health (NCEMH) as the national agency for children's mental health.

"The committee has recommended that the government empower NCEMH by increasing the number of medical specialists and psychologists and boosting its funding to address mental health issues among children," she said.

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Yeo added that one of NCEMH's strengthened roles could be to collaborate with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to carry out regular, systematic mental health screenings in schools.

Additionally, NCEMH would be tasked with training school counsellors and teachers to identify issues such as digital addiction, sexual addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), and other mental health challenges that require early intervention, so cases can be referred to the Ministry of Health (MOH) institutions.

She also said that the committee recommended MOE review the appropriateness of educational materials that emphasise social conformity, suggesting they be replaced with social and emotional learning, as recommended by academics studying children's psychosocial issues and UNICEF.

"Research has shown that cultural norms that stress social conformity and avoiding conflict can contribute to increased social anxiety, adversely affecting children's mental health," she added.

Additionally, Yeo said the committee proposed that the Home Ministry review and amend statutory rape laws to ensure equal accountability for both parties and recommended expanding "Op Pedo" efforts to control the spread of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).

Yeo also added that the committee recommended the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) intensify comprehensive Parenting Education.

This initiative aims to address "diverting syndrome," improve parenting literacy, and strengthen the relationship between parents and children, ensuring the joint responsibility of both families and schools in fostering children’s character and emotional well-being.

Earlier, the committee presented two findings on Dec 1, 2025 - Digital Safety and Children’s Mental Health in Malaysia" and "Townhall on Bullying Among Children in Malaysia."

This followed four engagement sessions with stakeholders between Oct 30 and Nov 13, to explore risk factors, systemic gaps, and necessary regulatory measures to tackle these issues.

Yeo highlighted that, overall, 55.7 per cent of children use the internet for one to four hours a day in 2024, with 60.7 per cent of them owning their own devices.

A study involving 5,290 teenagers across seven states in Malaysia revealed that 3.5 per cent of them were diagnosed with IGD, meaning approximately 315,000 children in Malaysia suffer from the disorder.

IGD is closely linked to impulsive behaviour, particularly in motor impulse and short attention span. Among those with IGD, 48.1 per cent experience severe anxiety, 37.4 per cent suffer from serious depression, and 18.2 per cent endure significant stress.

Yeo further noted that nearly half of all sexual crime cases involving children, 68.1 per cent of which were consensual cases between parties under 16, were related to early exposure to pornography, social media, and explicit digital content.

Additionally, 30 per cent of child sexual abuse cases at Tunas Bakti School and Moral Rehabilitation Centres were due to a lack of control over gadget use.

-- BERNAMA