A recent survey by Ipsos, a multinational market research and consulting company, has revealed a significant wave of concern in Malaysia. According to the survey, 71% of respondents strongly support a ban on the use of social media by children under the age of 14, both in and out of school.
This figure places Malaysia second only to Indonesia, which has the highest percentage at 79%. Malaysia's level of support is significantly higher than the global average of 60%.
The survey, which involved online interviews with 23,754 adults from 30 countries between June 21 and July 5 this year, included 500 respondents from Malaysia aged 18 to 74.
The results also showed that more than half of Malaysian respondents, 51%, support a ban on mobile phone use in schools.
In addition, concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT are emerging, with 29% of Malaysian respondents agreeing that the use of ChatGPT among students should be restricted.
Teachers Facing Growing Responsibilities
The majority of Malaysians, 64%, believe that teachers are responsible for ensuring that children acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills. Meanwhile, only 31% of respondents fully entrust this responsibility to parents. Half of Malaysians also believe that teachers should play a primary role in teaching digital literacy and online safety, with 56% of respondents agreeing.
In this context, Malaysians' confidence in the national education system is relatively high, with 44% of respondents giving a positive assessment, above the global average of 33%.
Global Trends in Social Media Restrictions for Children
While Malaysia reports 71% support for banning social media for children under 14, many developed countries also show significant support.
Most of these countries have support levels above 50%, with the exception of Germany at 40%. High levels of support are seen in Japan (52%), Sweden (53%), South Korea (57%), Singapore (59%), the United States (60%) and the Netherlands (66%). France tops the list with the highest level of support at 80%. These figures reflect a global trend of concern about the impact of social media on children.
The Hidden Risks of Smartphones and Social Media for Children
According to a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal titled "Smartphones, Social Media Use, and Youth Mental Health," smartphone and social media use has been shown to increase psychological distress, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies among teens, with the greatest impact on girls.
Social media often influences self-perception and interpersonal relationships through social comparison and negative interactions, such as cyberbullying, and often normalizes risky behaviors. In addition, heavy smartphone use leads to chronic sleep deprivation, which negatively affects cognition, academic performance and socio-emotional functioning.
Public awareness campaigns and social policies that support supportive home and school environments are critical to helping teens cope with today's challenges.
Read the full report here.
