Indonesia has introduced a ban preventing children under 16 from creating accounts on high-risk social media platforms, a move announced Saturday intended to protect minors from online harms such as pornography, scams, cyberbullying and internet addiction. The policy, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, follows similar steps taken by Australia and comes amid growing global scrutiny of tech companies over youth safety.
The government said platforms it classifies as high risk — including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox — must stop allowing under-16s to register. The rule affects roughly 70 million children, about a quarter of Indonesia’s 280 million population. Authorities say enforcement and account deactivation will be phased in rather than immediate.
Communications Minister Meutya Hafid said X and Bigo Live had already fully complied and urged other firms to “immediately align their products, features and services” with the new minimum-age requirement, adding there is “no room for compromise regarding compliance.” The government plans fines for platforms that fail to comply and has not ruled out a nationwide ban if needed. Several companies have said they will follow the new regulation.
Supporters praised the measure as needed to shield young people. Diena Haryana, founder of a Jakarta online-safety non-profit, told the Associated Press that studies point to social media’s negative effects on children’s mental health. “[Children] need to learn to use this digital technology at the right time, at the right age, and with the right guidance,” she said, urging parents and schools to promote real-world engagement.
Critics warned implementation will be difficult, noting that tech-savvy youngsters can try to bypass restrictions with VPNs or fake profiles. Other countries are taking varied approaches: Australia in December became the first to restrict under-16s and subsequently revoked about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children. Germany, Spain, France and Malaysia are considering or adopting similar steps, while the UK’s upper house recently voted in favor of a ban as pressure on the government to act. Some nations prefer age verification, parental consent systems or partial curbs over outright prohibitions.
The Indonesian move comes as US tech giants face legal pressure. This week a US jury found Meta and YouTube liable for designing addictive products that harmed young people and ordered the companies to pay a combined $6 million (€5.2 billion) in damages to a woman who says algorithms worsened her depression and suicidal ideation — a verdict seen as a bellwether for hundreds of similar lawsuits.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko