Indonesia to ban social media for children under 16
Source: Mashable Tech
Ban Details
Indonesia announced a ban on social media for anyone under 16, following a similar ban in Australia.
On Friday, Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, said in a speech shared online that the ban will begin on March 28. According to a translation by The New York Times, the rationale is the perceived threats of pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and social‑media addiction.
Starting March 28, children’s accounts on “high‑risk” platforms will be deactivated, including:
- X
- YouTube
- Threads
- Roblox
- Livestreaming app Bigo Live
Details on how the deactivation will be carried out have not been disclosed.
Background
The announcement comes after Indonesia lifted a ban on Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok at the start of February. The country had initially blocked Grok over safety concerns and said it would continue to monitor its guardrails.
This move follows Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 last year. In other regions, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, age‑verification laws have been enacted to restrict minors’ access to content deemed harmful, particularly pornography. A landmark trial concerning social‑media addiction is also underway in the United States.