Indonesia is set to prohibit children under 16 from accessing social media, according to Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid on Friday.
In a statement to reporters, Hafid explained that she had signed a government regulation preventing minors from creating accounts on platforms considered high-risk, such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
The new rules will be rolled out gradually starting March 28, continuing until all platforms comply fully with the regulation.
“The rationale is clear. Children are increasingly exposed to serious dangers, including pornography, cyberbullying, online scams, and most importantly digital addiction. This regulation ensures parents are no longer left to battle the algorithms alone,” Hafid said.
She emphasised that the government sees this measure as a vital step to safeguard children’s futures amid what she described as a “digital emergency.”
Hafid acknowledged that the rule’s introduction may initially cause friction, noting that “children may protest and parents might struggle to manage their concerns.”
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs carried out an unscheduled inspection of Meta Platforms’ Jakarta office over concerns about harmful content moderation on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Following the inspection, the minister issued a formal warning to Meta about its insufficient compliance with Indonesian regulations.
Requests for comment sent by the Associated Press to Meta and TikTok have not yet received responses.
If implemented, Indonesia would become the first country in Southeast Asia to restrict social media access for minors.
Australia began a similar initiative in December 2025, targeting teenage users, and has since removed around 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children from various social media platforms.