Indonesia has banned social media for children under 16. It is the first country in Southeast Asia to impose such restrictions.
Bloomberg writes about this.
New rules have come into effect in Indonesia restricting childrenʼs access to popular social media platforms. Services deemed "high-risk" by the authorities must now ban users under the age of 16 from accessing them.
The ban applies to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and the gaming platform Roblox. Existing accounts of children there will be deactivated or deleted.
Some lower-risk services can still be used by children, provided they have stricter security measures (high-privacy default settings, parental controls, and restrictions on geolocation tracking).
Indonesian authorities have cited concerns about the spread of harmful content, including cyberbullying, scams and pornography, among children. According to a 2023 United Nations study, about half of minors in the country have been exposed to sexual images on social media, and almost half have reported online bullying.
Mass ban on social media for children around the world
In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under the age of 16. The countryʼs authorities explained their decision by saying that social media can harm children — for example, affecting their physical and mental health.
In January, France passed a bill in its first reading to ban social media for children under 15. The bill will now go to the Senate (the upper house of parliament) and, if it makes any changes, the National Assembly will vote on it again. If passed, France would become the first country in Europe to completely ban social media for children under 15.
Britain and Spain also want to ban social media for children under 16, and Greece is close to announcing a similar ban for children under 15, a Reuters source told Reuters. Germany is also preparing similar restrictions.
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