Indonesia to ban under-16s from social media, implement standard-based age checks

Indonesia, the biggest country in Southeast Asia, is taking the momentous step to ban social media for under 16s. Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid announced the new regulation on Friday.

“This means Indonesia is the first non-Western country to implement age-appropriate restrictions for children in the digital space,” she said in Bahasa Indonesian (English translation via Channel News Asia). Indonesia follows Australia in implementing such a law, while many other countries are considering it.

The minister cited increasing threats to children as the motivation behind the ban, mentioning exposure to porn, cyberbullying, online scams, and singling out addiction as the most important factor.

“The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight the algorithm giants alone,” Hafid said during the televised address.

The ban begins March 28 with accounts for those aged under 16 on “high-risk platforms” to be deactivated starting from that date. Platforms prioritized under the ban will be Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads and YouTube. Livestreaming platform Bigo Live and video game platform Roblox were also highlighted by Hafid.

The minister framed the decision as taking back control and casting aside technology that may not prioritize people’s best interests. “We are taking this step to reclaim the sovereignty of our children’s future,” she said after recognizing the “inconvenience” that might be caused initially, following the ban.

“We want technology to humanize people, not sacrificing our children’s childhoods,” she concluded.

2025 law set the stage, Tony Allen briefs Indonesian gov’t on 27566-1

Last year, the Indonesian government brought in Regulation No.17 on the Governance of Electronic System Implementation in Child Protection. The regulation requires platforms and digital services to prioritize children’s safety, privacy and wellbeing through stronger safeguards, age-appropriate design and limits on harmful or exploitative practices.

Biometric Update reviewed the new regulation at the time, which frames age assurance as defense against child exploitation and targets platforms that are specifically intended for children. Since it includes social media and online games along with ecommerce platforms and streaming services, the broadness of the law could potentially mean additional platforms could eventually fall under the new regulation introduced on Friday.

Early last week, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs undertook a surprise inspection of Meta Platforms’ Jakarta office, reports AP News. The inspection took place over concerns about Meta’s handling of harmful content on the company’s platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Following the inspection, the ministry rebuked Meta for its improper compliance with national regulations.

As the individual who oversaw Australia’s Age Assurance Technology Trial (with Australia the first country to implement a children’s social media ban), and who helped author the international standard on age assurance, ISO/IEC 27566-1, Tony Allen knows about age assurance tech.

On LinkedIn, Allen revealed that he has met with the Indonesian minister. “It was a pleasure to meet with Minister Meutya Hafid on our recent visit to Jakarta with UK in Indonesia – British Embassy Jakarta,” he posted.

Allen said they’ve been assisting with briefings on the new ISO-IEC 27566-1 Age Assurance Systems Framework as well as the measures required to bring in highly effective age assurance measures for Indonesia.

The upcoming 2026 Global Age Assurance Standard Summit will feature an intensive master class on the ISO-IEC 27566-1 standard focused on practical implementation. Allen discussed the Summit, age assurance standards and more with the Biometric Update Podcast last week.

Article Topics

Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS)  |  age verification  |  biometrics  |  children  |  Indonesia  |  ISO 27566-1  |  regulation  |  social media