Indonesia bans children under 16 from YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox

Key facts

• Indonesia on Saturday began implementing a government regulation that bans children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction.
• Indonesia became the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
• Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said the government has instructed all digital platforms operating in Indonesia to immediately bring their products, features and services into compliance with applicable regulations.
• The regulation will apply to around 70 million children in Indonesia — a country with a population of about 280 million.
• Elon Musk’s X on its Indonesia Online Safety Information page gives 16 as the minimum age required for users in the country.
• Google-owned YouTube said it supports the Indonesian government’s effort to create an effective, risk-based framework that addresses online harms while preserving access to information and digital opportunity.
• TikTok said that it will take the necessary steps in line with regulatory expectations and continue to strengthen the safeguards, as well as keep Indonesian community in the platform informed as further guidance becomes available.
• Restrictions on social media access for children under 16 first began in December in Australia, where social media companies revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children.