Indonesia Bans Social Media for Users Under 16
Following in the footsteps of Australia, Indonesia is implementing restrictions on social media usage for children under 16. The new regulation, signed by Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid, requires “high-risk” platforms to remove accounts belonging to users under the age of 16, beginning on March 28, 2026.
New Regulations and Affected Platforms
Minister Hafid announced the policy will be implemented gradually, starting with major platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), Roblox, and Bigo Live 1. The government has not yet specified the exact compliance obligations for these platforms 1.
Concerns Driving the Ban
The Indonesian government cites increasing threats to children online as the primary reason for the ban. These threats include exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and addiction 1. Minister Hafid stated the government aims to protect children from the influence of algorithms and ensure parents are not left to fight these challenges alone 1, 3.
Platform Responses
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has stated it has not yet received the official regulation from the Indonesian government and is awaiting further details 1. Responses from other platforms have not yet been publicly released.
Indonesia Leads in Southeast Asia
Indonesia is the first country in Southeast Asia to implement such restrictions on social media access for children 1. Australia implemented a similar ban in December 2025 1, and Spain is also considering a similar measure 1. Malaysia has also approved a similar ban expected to capture effect this year 1.
Legal Basis for the Ban
The new policy is based on Peraturan Menteri Komunikasi dan Digital No. 9 Tahun 2026, which implements Peraturan Pemerintah (PP) Nomor 17 Tahun 2025 regarding the governance of electronic systems in child protection, known as PP Tunas 3. The responsibility for enforcing the ban primarily lies with the platform providers, who are required to implement stricter age verification and disable accounts belonging to users under 16 3.
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