PETALING JAYA: Children should be kept off social media until they are at least 13, says a child psychologist, as younger users often cannot grasp the long-term consequences of using social media.
Child clinical psychologist Dr Noor Aishah Rosli said social media encourages image sharing, peer approval, and viral content, which can normalise early sexual behaviour and blur boundaries for young users.
Children below 13 often cannot grasp long-term consequences of their actions, she said. “They might understand that sharing explicit images is wrong or embarrassing, but they often cannot fully predict the future repercussions, such as reputational damage, cyber exploitation, or legal implications,” Noor Aishah told FMT.