👩🍳 How we use AI at Tech in Asia, thoughtfully and responsibly.
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Indonesia orders platforms to report under-16 bans
The government said the rules affect about 70 million children and young people.
Seven of eight high-risk platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and Bigo Live, have agreed to restrict access.
TikTok said it deactivated 1.7 million accounts and Roblox has not agreed.
Critics, including digital rights group SAFEnet, said enforcement is difficult because age checks can require sensitive personal data and children may bypass controls with fake or borrowed identities.
🔗 Source: Associated Press
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
Indonesia has legal backing and real penalties
- Roblox has not publicly pledged to block children under 16. The company’s chief safety officer said it is preparing added content and communication controls for under-16 users in Indonesia to meet the rules 1.
- The rule sits within a broader government framework, including PP Tunas, a 2025 Indonesian regulation meant to protect children in electronic systems 2.
- Officials are ready to enforce the policy with fines. They have also left open the option of a nationwide ban for platforms that do not comply 3.
- The measure fits a wider push to police big tech companies. That recently included a surprise inspection of Meta’s Jakarta office over its handling of harmful content 4.
A wider model for youth internet rules is taking shape
- Indonesia is following Australia, where restrictions began in December and led platforms to revoke access for about 4.7 million accounts tied to children 3.
- The move makes Indonesia the first country in Southeast Asia to impose under-16 account limits on big platforms. Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s communications minister, also called it the first non-Western country to delay children’s access to digital spaces by age 5.
- Similar steps are under way or under review in Spain, France, and the United Kingdom, all aimed at limiting children’s access to social media 6.
- For platforms, the shift moves age rules away from one global standard. Compliance teams now face different requirements for younger users from country to country 5.
