The restrictions began on Mar 28, making Indonesia the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
JAKARTA: Indonesia on Saturday (Mar 28) began implementing a new government regulation approved earlier this month that bans children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction.
With the move, 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.
It follows measures that Australia took last year in a world-first social media ban for children as part of a push for families to take back power from tech giants and protect their teens.
Indonesia has said that the implementation of the restrictions would be carried out gradually, until all platforms comply with the measure.
In a press briefing on Friday night, Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said X has committed to start identifying and deactivating accounts owned by minors from Mar 28, while Roblox has informed the government of its plans to have an offline mode for users under age 13.
“X has announced that it would enforce a minimum user age of 16 in Indonesia. They have published this on their help centre,” said Meutya, as reported by news outlet Jakarta Globe.
Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, on its Indonesia Online Safety Information page, gives 16 as the minimum age required for users in the country. “It’s not our choice – it’s what Indonesian law requires,” the page says.
Meutya did not say when Roblox’s offline mode for children under 13 would go “live”.
“Communications are still ongoing that online access for (Roblox) users under a certain age will be disabled,” she reportedly said. “We still ask for (Roblox) to comprehensively comply with the rules.”
Meutya did not elaborate on age verification technologies at the briefing, Jakarta Globe reported. She said the government is focusing on enhancing the platforms’ compliance for now.
