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The news: TikTok, Meta, and Snap are facing unprecedented regulatory pushback in the Asia-Pacific region as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Australia enact laws to protect children.

Digital ad spending in Japan will account for 47.8% of total media ad expenditures in 2025, on par with Malaysia and emerging markets such as India. In 2024, video accounted for 27.9% of digital ad spending in Japan—up significantly from 21.4% in 2020 and 13.4% YoY—reaching $4.89 billion.

Retail: Philippines (9.5%), India (8.7%), Vietnam (7.5%), Thailand (6.0%), Malaysia (5.5%). Ecommerce: Philippines (23.0%), Thailand (20.0%), India (17.5%), Malaysia (15.5%), Vietnam (13.0%). Digital buyer penetration and ecommerce sales share of total retail vary widely in Asia-Pacific. Ä¢¹½AV one-third of retail sales in Asia-Pacific are conducted online in 2025.

Other markets, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, are enacting sweeping child safety laws that could challenge TikTok, Meta, and Snap.

Countries including Australia, Malaysia, Argentina, and Peru will see declines up to -0.9%, while Indonesia, Colombia, and Taiwan will see more modest shrinkage in active user base. These numbers signal a reversal of past expectations, when Facebook was presumed to still be expanding steadily across middle-income and mobile-first economies.

Malaysia. Malaysia’s desktop/laptop/tablet usage (3:39 daily) led the region. Mobile device usage was higher at 4:40. This places Malaysia at No. 3 in the region, 27 minutes above the regional average. Desktop/laptop/tablet time spent was down from a peak of 4:33 in 2021. Smartphone ownership in Malaysia was nearly universal at 98.8%—nearly in line with the regional average.

The Southeast Asia coverage in the Global Media Intelligence Report includes poll results from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): This agreement includes Canada and 10 other countries: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. For Canada, a key benefit is access to the Japanese automotive market for parts and its consumer market for beef and pork exports.