INDONESIA TO BLOCK UNDER-16S FROM HIGH-RISK SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BEGINNING MARCH 28

JAKARTA, March 6 (Bernama) -- On March 28, Indonesia is set to become the first non-Western country to ban access to high-risk digital platforms for children under the age of 16, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said.

She said the government had issued a ministerial regulation in line with a government regulation called Tunas, or Tata Kelola untuk Anak Aman dan Sehat Digital, which regulates electronic system operators to strengthen child protection in the digital space.

This, she said, includes banning children under 16 from having accounts on high-risk platforms such as social media and networking services.

“The basis is clear, our children are facing increasingly real threats. These range from exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most concerning, addiction.

“The government is here so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the algorithm monster,” she said, in a video message posted on the ministry’s social media platform on Friday.

Meutya said once implemented, the regulation would trigger the deactivation of social media accounts belonging to children under 16 on high-risk platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Thread, X, Bigolive, dan Roblox.

She said the process would be carried out gradually until all platforms comply with the regulation.

Meutya described the move as “the best step” aimed at safeguarding the future of Indonesian children in the digital era.

“We are taking this step to reclaim sovereignty over the future of our children. We want technology to make us more human, not sacrifice the childhood of our children,” she said.

-- BERNAMA