Indonesia imposes restrictions on social media for those under 16

A new government law in Indonesia prohibiting children under the age of 16 from accessing digital platforms that could expose them to inappropriate online material or scams has come into effect today.

When the new law was announced earlier in March, Indonesian Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Miutia Hafiz said it would apply to about 70 million children in Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million.

Indonesia became the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having social media accounts, following Australia’s move last year in the world’s first ban on social media for children as part of a campaign by families to reclaim power from tech giants and protect their teenage children.