SHAH ALAM: A majority of Malaysians agree that children under the age of 14 years old should not use social media, although opinions are divided on banning smartphones for children, Sinar Harian reports.
Referring to the Ipsos Malaysian Education Monitor 2025 survey conducted between June 20 and July 4, 2025, the Malay language daily reported that seven out of ten Malaysians support the proposal to prohibit social media use for children under 14.
The survey revealed that 71% of global respondents and 72% in Malaysia agree that social media impacts children’s education and should be restricted.
Only 25% of global respondents, and 24% in Malaysia, disagreed with this view.
However, the issue of banning smartphones in schools shows a division in opinion among respondents both in Malaysia and globally.
Based on Ipsos’ educational monitoring, only 52% of Malaysians agree with the proposal, compared to a 55% global average.
Interestingly, nearly four out of ten Malaysians disagree with the ban on smartphones in schools, a figure higher than the global average of 30%, Sinar Harian reported.
According to Ipsos, parents see smartphones as essential for safety and continuous communication with their children.
Thus, concerns are more focused on the content accessed rather than the devices themselves.
The study involved 23,700 adults under the age of 75 from 30 countries, including 500 respondents from Malaysia.
