DIGITAL PLATFORMS MUST STRENGTHEN MEASURES TO COMBAT CSAM - UNICEF

By Puti Ilya Maisarah

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The alarming surge in child sexual exploitation material (CSAM) in Malaysia has raised serious concerns and underscored the urgent need to strengthen regulatory measures and enhance safety safeguards across digital platforms.

Concern over the issue deepened after a large-scale operation by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) uncovered more than 880,000 CSAM files nationwide and resulted in the arrest of 31 individuals across 37 locations between Sept 23 and Sept 30.

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Investigations revealed that anonymous accounts, closed networks, dark-web channels and cashless transactions were among the key conduits used to circulate the illicit material, further highlighting the pressing need to reinforce protections for children in the online environment.

UNICEF Malaysia Child Protection specialist Selvi Supramaniam said the scale and complexity of online risks faced by children today demand stronger, more integrated safeguarding systems that uphold both child safety and children’s rights.

“Today, one in three Internet users globally is a child. Disrupting Harm Malaysia studies found that one in 25 children aged 12 to 17 has experienced clear instances of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, including sexual extortion, coercion and the non-consensual sharing of sexual images.

“This means at least one child in every classroom is affected,” she told Bernama.

Selvi said efforts to strengthen online safety must include child-friendly reporting mechanisms, accessible support services and greater awareness among children, parents, educators and digital platforms about how to recognise online risks.

Malaysia’s move to bar users under 16 from accessing social media starting next year is seen as a timely and important preventive step to help shield young users from growing online threats.

Selvi noted that age assurance could be an effective tool to prevent children from accessing sites or apps deemed unsuitable for their age, or to restrict the features and content they could access on various platforms based on their age.

“However, many age-assurance tools raise privacy and security concerns for children. It is essential to adopt appropriate and proportionate measures, and to balance the need to protect children from harmful content with respect for user privacy.

“When designed and implemented thoughtfully, age-assurance systems can uphold children’s rights, prevent exclusion and ensure they continue to benefit from the digital world,” she said.

Given how quickly CSAM could circulate, Selvi emphasised the importance of continuous monitoring, timely intervention and clear escalation protocols across digital platforms.

Selvi stressed that regulatory authorities should not be the first or only line of defence, noting that platforms themselves must take responsibility for ensuring children's online safety.

She said platforms must implement robust systems and procedures to detect and block access to known CSAM sites, including the use of recognised URL or hash lists and other internationally accepted detection tools.

“Continued investment in CSAM detection technologies, including AI tools that complement human review, is essential to support proactive identification and removal of harmful content.

“Platforms should maintain a dedicated and well-publicised CSAM reporting channel that is child-friendly, accessible, available in local languages, allows anonymous submissions, and prioritises CSAM cases for swift action," she added.

However, she said many global digital platforms remain poorly equipped to identify harmful content within Malaysia’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.

“As a result, they often lack moderators who understand local slang, coded terms or fast-evolving youth trends, which leads to harmful content being missed or misinterpreted.

“These gaps underscore the need for platforms to conduct robust child-rights due diligence, including child-rights impact assessments, and to ensure that safety systems reflect the lived realities of Malaysian children,” she added.

On the regulatory front, Selvi said Malaysia’s Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA) places clear obligations on regulated service providers to respond swiftly to CSAM complaints and to block access to such content without delay.

“Countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Philippines have also legislated to ensure that any reported or detected CSAM is referred to the police. They further require service providers to take appropriate measures to filter and block known CSAM using available technology,” she said.

She stressed that online safety cannot rely solely on enforcement by authorities, noting that platforms, families, schools and government agencies must work together to build a safer digital ecosystem where children can explore, learn and participate confidently.

-- BERNAMA