Behind the screen, curiosity can sometimes lead teens towards hidden digital risks.

Born between 1997 and 2010, Gen Z shows a global pattern of declining academic performance, with prolonged screen exposure and surface-level learning identified as key contributing factors.

The challenge lies in protecting children online while ensuring that solutions remain fair, coordinated and realistic for the long term.

Late bedtimes are often linked to unhealthy habits, including shorter sleep duration, poor diet, lack of physical activity and smoking, which are all key risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Many parents in Malaysia, although deeply invested in their children’s wellbeing, may have limited emotional bandwidth to consistently monitor subtle behavioural shifts.

Photo: Canva For young people, cybercrime often shows up as online grooming, harassment, pressure to share private images, or being threatened with exposure.

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Scrubbing too hard or over washing can actually trigger more breakouts, so gentle is the way to go. Photo: Canva

British actor Owen Cooper poses in the press room with his award Best Supporting Actor – Television for "Adolescence" during the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 11, 2026. - AFP

Jennifer Garner and her daughter Violet Affleck