As children begin to use their phones, social media, and online platforms at younger ages, keeping them safe online has become an important concern for many Malaysian families.
To strengthen this conversation, Tune Talk has appointed Dato’ Sasikala Devi Subramaniam, former Deputy Chief Police Officer of Selangor, as the Brand Ambassador for Epik+Family Safe, it’s family prepaid plan that comes with parental controls built into the network.
Announced on 9th September 2026, the partnership will see Dato’ Sasikala support public education efforts to help parents understand the risks children may face online and the practical steps families can take to reduce them.
Bringing Over 35 Years of Police Experience
Dato’ Sasikala brings more than 35 years of experience with the Royal Malaysia Police, including senior roles in the Commercial Crime and Narcotics Crime Investigation Departments. Having seen cases where action was only taken after something had already gone wrong, she believes more attention needs to be placed on prevention.
Children today have greater access to learning, entertainment and communication through the internet. At the same time, they can be exposed to age-appropriate content, cyberbullying, scams, manipulation, harmful interaction and exploitation.
“For many children, the first mobile connection is the beginning of their digital life. Safety should begin there too,” Dato’ Sasikala said.
She added that protecting children should not be left entirely to parens. Families, schools, mobile operators, online platforms, regulators, and enforcement agencies all have a role to play.
Moving from Reaction to Prevention
Dato’ Sasikala said recent measures, including the Online Safety Act and restriction on social media accounts for children under 16, are important steps. However, she stressed that laws and online filters alone cannot fully protect children.
Instead, safety should start from a child’s first experience online. This could include first-phone education, family agreements on digital use, easy ways to report problems, privacy-focused safeguards and stronger digital knowledge for both parents and children.
The aim is not to stop children from using technology but to make sure they understand the risk and know what to do when something does not feel right.
How Epik+ Family Safety Works
The partnership also builds on Tune Talk’s How Epik+ Family safe, which the company introduced as the world’s first family prepaid plan with network-level protection.
The plan offers parental controls at the network level, allowing parents to set age-appropriate boundaries. This includes different protection levels and the ability to block certain categories of content, subjects to the plan’s terms.
However. Dato’ Sasikala stressed that technology as such should only be seen as one part of keeping children safe online.
“A filter can support a family, but it cannot replace conversation, digital literacy, responsible platform practices, school policies, or law enforcement,” she said.
She believes one of the strongest forms of protection is helping children understand online risks, why certain boundaries are necessary and where they can seek help.
Starting the Conversation with a Child’s First Phone
Gurtaj Singh Padda, Co-founder and CEO of Tune Talk, said providing connectivity should also come with a sense of responsibility, especially as families try to keep up with a digital world that continues to change quickly.
He said Dato’ Sasikala’s public-service and law-enforcement experience can help turn awareness around online safety into practical action for families. Dato’ Sasikala also encouraged parents to treat a child’s first phone as the beginning of an important conversation. Along with giving children access to the digital world, families can use the moment to discuss safety, responsibility, boundaries and where to go for help.
She added that progress in child online safety should not only be judged by how well society responds when an incident happens, but also by how effectively harm is prevented in the first place.
Moving forward, Tune Talk said it will continue to work with parents, educators, policymakers, civil society organisations and industry partners to explore practical ways of creating safer digital experiences for Malaysian children and families.
