Youths Present Bold Policy Ideas To Malaysian Government & Call For Stronger AI Safeguards
"We often underestimate how smart kids are."
Cover image via On 4 June, youth leaders from across Malaysia gathered at the Communications Ministry to present policy recommendations on two urgent digital issues
The issues were AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AI-CSAM), and the mental health harms caused by AI-driven social media algorithms.
These 10 youth fellows were part of Youths IRL, a policy-focused fellowship under the Online Safety IRL campaign organised by Ratio:Cause, in partnership with the Communications Ministry, CelcomDigi, and Content Forum, with media support from SAYS.
Youths IRL fellows and mentors with (4th from left) Philip Ling, Head of Sustainability at CelcomDigi, Mediha Mahmood, CEO of Content Forum, Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Communications Minister, Mano Verabathran, Deputy Secretary-General of Telecommunications Infrastructure, and New Su Shern, Executive Director of Ratio:Cause.
Image via Ratio:Cause (Provided to SAYS)
Their presentations outlined eight actionable proposals to address AI-fuelled digital risks. The topics they tackled ranged from preventing child exploitation to reducing social media addiction among young Malaysians.
The 10 Youths IRL fellows are:
- Elly Zulaikha (KL)
- Ephesean Tan (Selangor)
- Shaheerol Izuan (Perak)
- Carlos Ewit (Sabah)
- Andesh Thevendran (Selangor)
- Farrah Nur Fareena (Selangor)
- Melvin Jangga (Sarawak)
- Sitti Fatimah (Labuan)
- Khabeellan Sugumar (Selangor)
- Tushaerthan Jeevanathan (
Kedah)
Teo Nie Ching during a presentation by Youths IRL fellows on policies to address excessive screen usage.
Image via Ratio:Cause (Provided to SAYS)
In the audience were Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching; Mano Verabathran, Deputy Secretary‑General of Telecommunications Infrastructure; Mediha Mahmood, CEO of Content Forum, and other key stakeholders.
"The fellows were an impressive, intelligent group who took the initiative to do their research, ask critical questions, and challenge conventional thinking," said Dr Sean Thum, one of the mentors during the programme
Dr Thum is Teo's Special Functions Officer and a recipient of the World Internet Conference Global Youth Leader Award in 2024. A medical doctor by training and columnist on digital safety, he brought a multidisciplinary perspective to the cohort.
Dr Sean Thum (centre) poses for a photo with two Youths IRL fellows, Sitti Fatimah from Labuan and Shaheerol Izuan from Perak.
Image via Dr Sean Thum – 谭政宗医生 (Facebook)
Speaking to SAYS, Dr Thum said, "They did the heavy lifting. My role was to help them sharpen their proposals and navigate the complexities of policy language."
Crucially, Dr Thum stressed the importance of including youth in shaping the governance of technologies they use every day.
"If young people are the primary users and future workforce within digital ecosystems, they should also have a seat at the table shaping its rules. Policies risk becoming obsolete if they don't reflect the lived experiences and aspirations of youth."
He added that many of the fellows' recommendations were both practical and implementable, especially given the government's current push for more robust AI regulation.
The first half of the fellows' presentation focused on the dangers posed by generative AI tools that can be misused to create sexually exploitative content involving children.
Here's a look at their policy recommendations:
1. Strengthen the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2024
Proposed amendments include:
- Selective age verification without using invasive biometric data
- Child-friendly privacy notices and Terms of Use
- Parental Supervision Modes on digital platforms
- Mandatory encryption for children's data
- Time-bound data retention (e.g. two years max)
- Improved access and deletion rights for parents
"We often underestimate how smart kids are," said Elly Zulaikha, 25, a fellow from Kuala Lumpur. "If we just listen, they have a lot to say. But we don't — we just come at them and scold."
2. Align the Content Code with PDPA reforms
The fellows recommended updating the Content Code to ensure consistency with revised data protection laws, especially in sections dealing with privacy, algorithmic content, and user safety.
3. Recognise AI crimes under sexual offences laws
They called for amendments to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 to define AI-generated child abuse material as a specific criminal offence.
4. Expand the Child Sex Offenders Registry
The proposal includes creating a cyber-paedophile category and expanding the registry to reflect AI-related exploitation crimes, along with increased investment in investigative capacity.
Youths IRL fellows presenting their policy recommendations to address AI-generated child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).
Image via Ratio:Cause (Provided to SAYS)
5. Improve content moderation and reporting tools
Recommendations include:
- Advanced hash technology to flag and remove known CSAM
- An "opt-out" button to let users immediately remove harmful content from their feed
- Automatic facial blurring for children in uploaded media, with opt-out options for users
These tools aim to give users and parents more real-time control while easing the burden on human moderators.
In the second half of their policy paper, the fellows turned to the role of AI in shaping compulsive digital habits, particularly among children and teenagers.
Their policy recommendations were:
1. Screen time limits and parental controls
The fellows proposed requiring platforms to include:
- Customisable daily screen time limits
- Break reminders to disrupt continuous scrolling
- Age-appropriate content filters
These should be fully manageable by parents or guardians, to encourage healthier digital habits.
"Sometimes, you just doom scroll without realising it's been two hours," said Melvin Jangga, 25, a fellow from Sarawak.
"If the reminder pops up in the middle of the screen and makes you stop and think — that's when it works," he explained about their recommended policy change.
2. Enhanced AI content moderation and accountability
The fellows also recommended:
- AI-powered filters to detect violent, sexual, and overstimulating content
- Mandatory human oversight of flagged posts to avoid over-censorship and bias
This strikes a balance between algorithmic efficiency and human judgment in moderation.
3. Algorithm transparency and platform responsibility
To increase accountability, platforms should:
- Disclose how AI algorithms recommend content to children
- Report on time spent and exposure to harmful content
- Implement auditable safety features to protect vulnerable users
These recommendations align with Malaysia's emerging social media licensing framework, aimed at holding large platforms accountable for how their algorithms operate.
Youths IRL fellows presenting their policy recommendations to address the issues of excessive screen usage.
Image via Ratio:Cause (Provided to SAYS)
For many of the fellows, Youths IRL was their first exposure to the policymaking process and a gateway to future advocacy
"Policy language is complex. I had to reread things a lot," Elly told SAYS. "But now I want to be one of the people asking the hard questions about technology and ethics."
Meanwhile, Melvin added, "People in rural areas know what AI is. They just don't know how to use it. If we want to bridge the gap, we have to teach in local languages and meet them where they are."
Image via Ratio:Cause (Provided to SAYS)
Finally, Dr Sean Thum believes these young leaders are just getting started.
"What made their contributions so valuable was that they weren't just theoretical — they were grounded in real experiences. That's exactly what we need more of in policymaking."
Youths IRL is part of the Online Safety IRL campaign and aims to equip 18–25-year-olds with the tools to influence digital safety policies in Malaysia
The fellowship included workshops, mentorship, and a policy development process guided by professionals from CelcomDigi, CyberSecurity Malaysia, PayNet, and the Communications Ministry.
Applications for both Youths IRL and Creators IRL will reopen later this year. Follow @youthsirl and @heycreatorsirl on Instagram and TikTok for updates.
The full Youths IRL policy recommendations paper are available here.
