Sri Lanka, June 1 -- Malaysia has started blocking anyone under the age of 16 from signing up for social media platforms, the country's communications regulator confirmed on Monday, according to a recent report by Reuters.

The new rules, which took effect immediately, require platforms including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Google's YouTube to verify a user's age against government-issued identification records. Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to 10 million ringgit, equivalent to roughly 2.5 million US dollars.

Existing accounts held by underage users will not be removed straight away. Instead, the regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, has given social media firms a six-month win...