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Indonesia threatens fines, blocks for apps with under-16 users
Indonesia’s Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital (Komdigi) issued Peraturan Menteri Komunikasi dan Digital (Permen Komdigi) Nomor 9 Tahun 2026, requiring digital platforms and social media deemed high‑risk to disable accounts for users under 16, and allowing sanctions from written warnings, administrative fines, temporary suspension of services, or blocking or disconnection of access from Indonesia.
Platforms that fail to comply may face sanctions ranging from written warnings and administrative fines to temporary suspension of services or blocking of access from Indonesia.
The rule also allows Komdigi to publish the names of offending apps and report suspected crimes to law enforcement.
Platforms have up to three months to submit a “penilaian mandiri” (self-assessment) on the safety of their products and services for children.
Komdigi said the rule will be phased from 28 March 2026 and named eight high-risk platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.
🔗 Source: kumparan
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
The regulation is driven by broad national consensus and specific fears
- This ministerial rule carries out PP Tunas (PP No. 17/2025), a higher regulation meant to protect children in electronic systems 1.
- The ministry’s definition of “high-risk” services includes digital platforms and social media, with concerns such as addiction, exploitation, and exposure to violence 1.
- National groups have welcomed the policy, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Child Protection Commission (KPAI) 1.
- Officials call it a response to a “digital emergency,” saying the government needs to support parents who are “fighting alone against the giant of algorithms” 2.
The new rule creates a potential global playbook but faces platform pushback
- Indonesia has cast itself as among the first non-Western countries to roll out age-based limits on access to digital services 3.
- Meta opposes a total ban, saying it could push teens toward riskier unmonitored sites or toward using services without an account, which Meta says reduces protection 4.
- Meta backs parental controls and app-store-level controls, saying parents should decide which apps their teens use 2.
- Even with the regulation set, Meta says it will “wait and see” until it officially receives the rules, which suggests extended talks before full compliance 5.
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