Indonesia Moves to Ban Social Media for Users Under 16

Indonesia plans to bar anyone under 16 from using major social media platforms, joining a small but growing group of countries pushing sweeping age-based restrictions online.

Communication and digital affairs minister Meutya Hafid announced that a forthcoming government regulation will require so‑called “high-risk” platforms to delete accounts belonging to users in Indonesia who are under 16. The rule is due to take effect starting March 28, according to the announcement.

Major platforms first, details later

Implementation will roll out in stages. Hafid said authorities will begin with some of the world’s largest platforms, including:

• YouTube
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Roblox
• Bigo Live, the Singapore-based live streaming app

Hafid added that all platforms operating in Indonesia will be required to meet compliance obligations set by the government, but did not specify what those obligations will include or how enforcement will work in practice.

The move immediately puts large US social networks and other global platforms on notice. A Meta spokesperson told The New York Times that the company has not yet received an official regulation from Indonesia and is waiting for further details. That response underscores how early the process is and how much remains unclear for operators and users alike, from verification mechanisms to appeal processes for affected accounts.

Indonesia is following a path first taken at national level by Australia, which was the first country reported to have implemented a broad ban on social media for under‑16s. Similar measures are now at various stages of development in other jurisdictions.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain is prepared to introduce a ban on social media use for people under 16, signalling another large market moving toward stricter controls on youth access. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s cabinet has approved a comparable ban, which is expected to come into force sometime this year, according to earlier reports.

Indonesia’s plan places it among the earliest adopters of outright age‑based social media bans, rather than narrower content or design rules. However, the country has not yet published details on how platforms should identify underage users, what constitutes a “high‑risk” service beyond the named examples, or what penalties will apply for non‑compliance.

With a vast young population and heavy use of mobile-first social media, Indonesia is a significant test case for how far governments can push age-gating in practice and how global tech companies will respond once the regulation text is formally released.