Malaysian authorities blame social media after fatal stabbing of schoolgirl shocks nation

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian authorities have cited social media as the main factor behind a 14-year-old boy’s alleged fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old female student at a school on Oct 14, which has shocked the nation.

Selangor police on Oct 15 said the two students at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4 had no contact with each other before the stabbing, while Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for tighter controls on online content amid several cases of violence against girls at schools in the past few months.

“It is believed that emotional impulses and the influence of social media have been identified as factors that may have led the suspect to behave in such a manner,” Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar told a press conference.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Anwar said he would instruct his ministers to consider stricter measures on the use of social media at the next Cabinet meeting.

“The responsibility, of course, goes back to parents and schools, but almost all of these issues stem from the (unchecked) use of mobile phones and social media,” he told reporters after attending the Finance Ministry’s monthly assembly on Oct 15.

Clinical psychologist Dr Jochebed Isaacs told The Straits Times that parents are not monitoring the quality and duration of the social media content their children are exposed to.

“(Electronic) devices were never meant to be put in the hands of children without parental guidance... Even adults have so many mental health issues with comparison, toxicity (and) bullying,” she said.

Dr Joel Low, executive committee member of the Malaysian Society of Clinical Psychology, noted that before the advent of social media, natural forms of guidance and gatekeeping such as parents at home and teachers in school helped to regulate and form acceptable behaviours among the young.

“The problem with social media and online exposure is that there is no real gatekeeping that takes place. Anyone at any age would have access to a plethora of information, behaviour and social actions at any stage of their lives,” he told ST.

In a move to protect children online, Malaysia will soon require all social media platforms to implement “electronic Know Your Customer” (eKYC) identity verification to ensure users under 13 do not own accounts, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told reporters on Oct 15.

“When I met representatives from social media platforms last month, I made it clear that Malaysia will make identity verification mandatory, especially to prevent children below 13 from having accounts,” he said.

He added that a meeting will be held with social media companies next week to discuss immediate steps towards implementing the requirement.

Referring to the issue of overexposure to social media, Dr Low said: “The age limit will help, but it’s not going to stop it from going on because society is the way we are right now.”

The stabbing on Oct 14 that led to the girl’s death has triggered a wave of public outrage and renewed scrutiny over safety and discipline at Malaysian schools.

Videos and eyewitness accounts described scenes of chaos as the suspect, his uniform stained with blood, walked through the school courtyard with a knife.

In one viral video, he is seen wearing black gloves, knife in hand, and calmly drinking water while walking in the courtyard.

The police arrived within 30 minutes of being alerted and detained the suspect, who is being held until Oct 21 at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters.

Selangor police said that while the suspect had not interacted with the victim before, it is believed that he had romantic feelings for the victim, who was in a different class.

“Investigations so far found that the suspect had feelings for the victim but never expressed them,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Shazeli said.

“He kept them to himself. The victim was also unaware of the suspect’s feelings.”

The police also confirmed the discovery of a handwritten note believed to be a message left by the suspect.

The note, which has been circulating on social media, allegedly contained various writings, including one that reads: “This world is fake. I have already won.”

Datuk Shazeli said the note was found on the suspect during the arrest and the police are investigating its contents.

The girl’s death follows a string of violent school incidents in recent months, underscoring the urgent need to improve student safety and mental health support in schools.

Journalist-activist Tehmina Kaoosji weighed in on the matter online, warning that the stabbing incident raises urgent questions about how “toxic masculinity” narratives and “misogynistic content” on social media adversely influence boys and young men, resulting in gender-based violence against girls and women.

Such worrying content pushes “the type of ideology that normalises entitlement, stalking and ‘punishment’ when girls set boundaries,” she posted on her Instagram account on Oct 14.

Amid public outrage, the four male students accused of being involved in the rape of a 15-year-old girl in a Melaka school 

were expelled on Oct 13

.

The four have been remanded for six days from Oct 11. According to Melaka police, the case is being investigated as gang rape, and those convicted will face a jail term of between 10 and 30 years.

In July, 13-year-old Zara Qairina, a student at a boarding school in Sabah, died after being allegedly assaulted by schoolmates, with the incident 

sparking mass protests and demands for justice

.