KUALA LUMPUR: Parents deeply concerned about the rampant spread of child pornographic material on social media are demanding urgent action from the authorities to protect children from paedophiles.
Housewife Leena Abdul, 44, said as a parent, she has done her best to ensure that nothing related to her only son is posted on social media.
"As a parent, I am always concerned that my son might fall victim to these predators, so I choose not to share anything about him on my social media," she said.
"I think sometimes parents do share too much about their lives and inadvertently put their kids in harm's way.
"The worst part is some of them even do check-ins (sharing their location on social media)," she said.
She emphasised the need to educate parents and update laws to equip the authorities with the necessary tools to fight such crimes.
"As we know, once things are on the Internet, they stay there, and getting them removed is difficult.
"We need a specific law to address this menace, and enforcement must go hand in hand," she added.
A 33-year-old mother of two, Amalina Salleh, said she and her husband regularly have open discussions with their children about paedophilia to make them aware of the dangers.
"Our children have never been victims of sexual grooming or anything, but we make sure to have open discussions and regularly warn them about the dangers," she said.
"But still, we are constantly worried and always ask ourselves, what more can we do to prevent such things?"
She urged the government to focus on cracking down on these criminals, especially on digital platforms where children "silently" make new friends, explore activities and play games.
Meanwhile, Khairil Ahmad, 43, said social media platforms have influenced young audiences to aspire to potentially harmful lifestyles.
The father of a 6-year-old said in some cases the desire to be online is driven not by children themselves, but by their parents, who seek to earn money as "influencers".
"This crosses ethical boundaries and puts undue pressure on children.
"Licensing won't solve the problem, and it wouldn't be easy.
He urged the government to take stricter measures against platforms promoting immoral content.
"If I were in the government, I would ban platforms with immoral content and those violating data privacy to send a clear message that we mean business," he said.
Another parent, Wan Liyana Rozan Wan Ahmad, 33, said as a mother to a 1-year-old child, she couldn't help but feel scared and worried about the risks social media poses to her daughter.
"My girl is still young, but in this era, I can't help over-thinking and worrying about how accessible social media is to criminals," she said.
"When the time comes, I will have a talk with her and remind her of these dangers."
She called for more attention to be given to raising public awareness about online sexual crimes.
"Parents and teachers can only do so much in monitoring and reminding them (children), but the authorities must also raise awareness about online sexual crimes.
"Maybe they (the government) could create videos or games that engage young people and help them understand the risks."