Indonesia Imposes Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

Following Australia, Indonesia has also decided to ban social media use for children under the age of 16. The announcement was made on Friday (6 March) by the country’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, during a press conference, according to Engadget.

The restriction will come into effect from 28 March. The minister stated that the ban will be implemented gradually in phases.

In the first phase, high-risk platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), Bigo Live, and Roblox will be brought under the regulation. These platforms will be required to close the accounts of users under the age of 16 in Indonesia.

Explaining the reason behind the decision, Minister Hafid said, “Our children are facing increasing threats. Pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly addiction—this decision has been taken to protect children from these risks.” She further added, “The government has stepped forward so that parents do not have to fight the monster of algorithms alone.”

Indonesia has become the first country in Southeast Asia to impose such restrictions on social media for children. Prior to this decision, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs conducted a surprise inspection at Meta Platforms’ office in Jakarta.

During the inspection, concerns were raised regarding shortcomings in the management of harmful content on Meta’s platforms, and strict warnings were issued to comply with national regulations.

It is worth noting that since last December, a ban on social media use for children under 16 has already been in effect in Australia. There, social media companies have identified and closed approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to children. Similar policies are also being considered or implemented in several countries, including Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.

DBTech/BMT/OR