JAKARTA, Feb 10 (Bernama) -- A coordinated ASEAN approach in addressing global challenges, including efforts to strengthen online safety for children, would help amplify the region’s collective voice on the international stage, according to Malaysian Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said the 11-member bloc with a population of more than 660 million shares cultural values which would also stand to benefit from a concerted approach in undertaking common actions and initiatives.
“So, if we can coordinate our efforts, this will make the ASEAN voice louder,” she told Bernama after a meeting with Indonesian Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Nezar Patria today.
Also present were the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, deputy editor-in-chief (News Services) Mohd Shukri Ishak, and RTM deputy director-general (Strategic) Hamzah Ishak.
Teo is on a three-day working visit at the invitation of Indonesia to attend Indonesia’s National Press Day 2026 in Banten and is scheduled to depart for home later today.
Elaborating, Teo cited online safety as one area where regional cooperation could be strengthened, noting that Indonesia had previously taken the initiative to block the artificial intelligence platform, Grok, before Malaysia adopted a similar measure, followed by the Philippines.
“Perhaps the approach taken is different, but it is very good for us to sit and discuss, share experiences, and share the best practices,” she said.
Similarly, Malaysia and Indonesia are moving to restrict social media use among teenagers below the age of 16 starting this July, in line with the enforcement of the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2025, while Indonesia plans to begin its restrictions from March.
On this, Teo said, Indonesia’s approach is slightly different from Malaysia’s, with Malaysia currently focusing its restriction solely on social media platforms, while Indonesia is assessing the possibility of extending restrictions to cover a wider range of online content.
“We feel that the intention of the Indonesian and Malaysian governments is the same.
“For now, we remain limited to social media. We will study Indonesia’s approach on other platforms and observe its implementation,” she added.
-- BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
