Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16
Indonesia will be the first country in Southeast Asia to restrict the access of children to social media. (AP: Dita Alangkara)
In short:
Indonesia will ban social media access for children under 16, the country's communications minister has announced.
It will be the first country in South-East Asia to restrict the access of children to social media.
What's next:
The implementation will start gradually from March 28.
Indonesia will ban social media access for children under 16, citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and internet addiction.
Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said in a statement on Friday she had just signed a government regulation that will mean children under the age of 16 can no longer have accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
"The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm,"she said.
The implementation will start gradually from March 28, until all platforms fulfill their compliance obligations.
"The basis is clear. Our children face increasingly real threats. From exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly addiction," Hafid said.
She added the government is taking this step as the best effort in the midst of a digital emergency to reclaim sovereignty over children's futures.
"We realise that the implementation of this regulation may cause some discomfort at first. Children may complain and parents may be confused about how to respond to their children's complaints," Hafid said.
Earlier this week, Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs conducted a surprise inspection of Meta Platforms' Jakarta office over concerns about the handling of harmful content on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The implementation of the ban in Indonesia will start gradually from March 28. (AP: Dita Alangkara)
The ministry in a statement said that through this inspection, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology issued a stern warning regarding Meta's low level of compliance with national regulations.
TikTok Indonesia and Google Indonesia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Indonesia will be the first country in South-East Asia to restrict the access of children to social media.
The restriction of social media access for teens began in Australia in December and social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children in Australia.
A European Union expert group began work this week on a similar social media ban for children.
Brussels is keeping a close eye on how successful the Australian ban proves to be, with legal challenges already filed against it.
France, along with Denmark, Greece and Spain, has been pushing for similar action at EU level, and India has been considering a teen social media ban of its own.
AP