Bold, independent coverage of Malaysian politics, business and current affairs.
A tragic driveway accident in Sungai Petani, Kedah has claimed the life of a two-year-old girl who was struck by a reversing lorry. Her 61-year-old grandfather, who was operating the vehicle, has been detained by authorities for investigation purposes.
Malaysian authorities have removed 1,550 pieces of offensive content involving children since 2022, leveraging stricter enforcement and new digital safety legislation to protect minors online.
More than 30 countries worldwide are now enforcing or planning restrictions on social media use by children, with minimum age limits ranging from 13 to 16 years old.
A Singapore Armed Forces captain has been charged with possessing at least eight sexually explicit child abuse materials and 20 obscene films. The 26-year-old was suspended from duties following the allegations.
A supermarket sales assistant has been charged with murdering a newborn baby in Subang Jaya. The case was presented at Shah Alam Magistrate's Court, highlighting serious concerns about child safety in the Klang Valley region.
Police in Kota Kinabalu have confirmed the death of a 10-year-old girl who went missing on July 13, classifying the case as murder. Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident.
A 22-year-old Singapore man has been sentenced to nine years and seven months in jail and 12 strokes of the cane for sexually abusing two 13-year-old girls. He deceived both victims about his age through online platforms before meeting them.
Police in Kangar, Perlis have arrested a social media influencer on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and creating exploitative imagery. The alleged incident occurred at a residential property.
Police in Melaka have arrested a 36-year-old trader suspected of molesting 10 boys and sodomising one over a five-month period. The suspect allegedly used enticement tactics to target his victims.
A South Korean appellate court has sentenced a Chinese man to 22 years imprisonment for beating his 14-year-old daughter to death in October at their Ansan home, increasing the lower court's original 18-year sentence.
The European Parliament has voted to restore temporary regulations allowing major technology platforms to detect and remove child sexual abuse material, whilst safeguarding end-to-end encrypted messaging services from mandatory scanning.
A Singapore court has sentenced a 27-year-old man to 22 years imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane for repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl, subjecting her to violent sexual acts, and coercing her into prostitution over a two-month period from May to July 2023.
India's technology ministry has instructed Meta to remove all sexual abuse content involving children from Instagram and Facebook, and to disable related advertisements. The directive follows a BBC investigation revealing such material in Indian Instagram ads.
A 12-year-old girl's death in West Bengal's Baruipur triggered mass protests and mob violence on Sunday. One suspect was lynched by villagers, two arrested. Police faced stone-throwing crowds as train and road services were disrupted.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized the opposition Liberal Party and Greens for referring amendments to toughen enforcement of the nation's under-16 social media ban to an eight-week Senate inquiry, fearing the delay will let platforms escape scrutiny.
Police in Bengaluru have arrested five daycare workers following allegations of child abuse caught on video at an IT company's on-campus facility. The case highlights safety gaps in workplace childcare across India's tech hubs.
A senior citizen appeared in Melaka's Ayer Keroh Sessions Court facing charges related to the physical sexual assault of two primary schoolgirls. The alleged incident occurred in a mosque storeroom.
A UNICEF report reveals children are embracing artificial intelligence three times faster than adults, with at least 20 million globally already using AI systems. The agency warns of inadequate safety measures and calls for stronger governance frameworks.
The US House has passed legislation requiring tech platforms to protect children online, but Senate lawmakers are pushing for stricter rules that would hold companies legally accountable for harmful content.
Australia is introducing legislation on Monday to strengthen its under-16 social media ban and grant its internet regulator enhanced enforcement powers to take tech giants to court for violations.
Australia is considering stricter enforcement measures for its groundbreaking social media ban for children, following data showing seven in ten underage users still maintain accounts on major platforms despite the December 2024 legislation.
Indonesia's communications ministry says TikTok and YouTube have collectively deactivated 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under 16, marking the enforcement of stricter digital protections introduced in March.
Police in Temerloh have detained a male schoolteacher for questioning regarding an alleged sexual assault involving a 14-year-old boy. The arrest marks another serious safeguarding incident within Malaysian educational institutions.
Police have remanded a babysitter for three days as they investigate the death of an 11-month-old girl in Bedong, Kedah. The case highlights ongoing concerns about childcare safety and supervision standards.
Malaysia's Communications Ministry has mandated that social media platforms implement age-verification systems to ensure only users aged 16 and above can create accounts, part of a broader push to safeguard children online.
The European Commission is preparing preliminary findings accusing Meta of deploying exploitative design techniques to addict young users to Facebook and Instagram, intensifying regulatory pressure on the US tech giant under the Digital Services Act.
Google's YouTube has settled a lawsuit from a Florida teenager claiming the platform damaged his mental health, strengthening arguments that social media companies knowingly addict young users. Three other major platforms face trial in July.
Police in Tenom have begun investigating claims that a 10-year-old student was bullied at her school hostel, raising fresh concerns about child safety in residential educational facilities across Malaysia.
The European Commission is intensifying its investigation into Meta, preparing preliminary findings that allege Facebook and Instagram employ deliberately addictive design features targeting children, building on concerns about youth wellbeing.
India's government has intensified monitoring of Telegram after discovering the platform is being exploited for child sexual abuse material and financial scams. A Home Ministry report documented over 688,000 cyber fraud complaints since 2023.
An Indonesian domestic worker appeared in Johor Baru Sessions Court on assault charges involving her employer's toddler. The case has drawn renewed attention to protections for both household staff and children in Malaysian households.
Police have arrested five men following the discovery of two teenage cousins who went missing from a Kelantan village on Thursday night. The teenagers were located safely in Machang on Friday, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation.
An American federal court has upheld Ohio's parental consent requirement for minors using social media, striking down a legal challenge from major tech companies. The decision represents a significant victory for state-level child safety efforts.
The United Arab Emirates has become the first Arab country to ban social media use for children under 15, following similar moves by Australia and Britain. Platforms have 12 months to enforce age verification.
Japanese police have arrested a 36-year-old woman suspected of fatally stabbing her 33-year-old friend in Fukuoka City early Thursday morning. The victim's three elementary school-aged children were asleep in another room during the incident.
A stepmother in Johor Baru has been charged with murder following the death of a four-year-old child. Police reclassified the case from earlier findings after determining the child sustained fatal blunt trauma injuries.
A foreign woman has been charged in Johor Baru's Sessions Court with child neglect following an incident in which her son died and daughter was gravely injured after falling from a 12th-floor apartment in Tampoi earlier this month.
Florida's attorney general has sued TikTok, alleging the platform breaches state law by permitting underage account creation and exposing minors to harmful content. The lawsuit seeks court-ordered compliance and damages.