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The Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) is urging the public to stop sharing sensitive content that could identify the minors involved in the school stabbing case in Banting, Selangor
In a statement yesterday, 7 July, CMCF said it is deeply concerned over the viral spread of information that may reveal the identity of a child involved in criminal or court proceedings.
It said Malaysian law clearly protects minors in such cases, specifically under Section 15 of the Child Act 2001.
"While mainstream media outlets in Malaysia have, on the whole, exercised restraint and responsibility in their coverage, harmful content has continued to spread through social media, messaging apps and unverified pages presenting themselves as news sources.
"These include materials that identify the child allegedly involved in the incident, as well as private details that responsible media organisations have rightly chosen not to publish," CMCF said.
The dissemination of identifying content can cause lasting harm to the children involved
CMCF said such content exposes the child, other students connected to the case, and their families to public shaming, retaliation, and psychological harm.
It added that such content could also deepen stigma and discourage other young people facing similar issues from seeking help.
"A child does not lose the protection of the law because the allegation is serious.
"In fact, the more serious the case, the more careful we must be, because public anger must not become a permanent digital punishment for a child," said CMCF CEO Mediha Mahmood.
The forum warned that once such content is shared online, removing it becomes extremely difficult, allowing the harm to persist long after public attention has faded.
CMCF urges:
• The public to stop seeking out, sharing, forwarding or reposting any content that identifies the child or exposes personal details. Curiosity is not a public interest justification, especially where children are involved.
• Unverified pages and self-styled news portals to immediately remove any identifying or private material involving minors and to stop publishing unverified personal content in pursuit of traffic, engagement or sensationalism.
• Social media platforms to act swiftly against content that identifies the children involved or exposes private details, and to strengthen enforcement where such content is being amplified, reuploaded or recirculated.
• The media to continue exercising vigilance, particularly where viral content online may create pressure to publish details that should properly be withheld.
CMCF added that it is prepared to work with social media platforms, civil society, media organisations, and relevant government agencies to curb the spread of harmful and unverified content online.
