Indonesia to Introduce Social Media Protections Ahead of Age-Limit Law

Indonesia is gearing up to implement temporary child protection guidelines for social media companies as the government works on legislation to establish a minimum age requirement for platform users, as confirmed by a senior communications ministry official on Wednesday.

Communications minister Meutya Hafid revealed plans to introduce regulations setting a minimum age for social media users after discussing online child protection proposals with President Prabowo Subianto. This move comes in the wake of Australia's decision to prohibit children under 16 from using social media, with penalties for tech giants like Instagram and Facebook's Meta, as well as TikTok owned by China's ByteDance, if they fail to prevent underage access.

Alexander Sabar, a senior official at the communications and digital ministry, explained, "What the minister means is that the government is headed for the direction of a stronger regulation on age limit, which is through the formation of a law."

In the interim, the government will introduce regulations for digital platforms, including social media companies, to comply with child protection guidelines. The focus of the government regulation will be on safeguarding children from physical, mental, or moral risks, without completely restricting their access to social media.

Meta and TikTok did not provide comments when requested.

Nurmayanti, a 46-year-old mother of three, expressed support for the initiative to regulate social media content, particularly content that promotes pornography or discrimination. She highlighted concerns about children having unrestricted access to social media and stressed the importance of clear and stringent laws.

However, Anis Hidayah, a commissioner at Indonesia's main human rights body, emphasised the significance of limiting internet access for children while also ensuring that their right to information is not compromised.

A survey conducted by the Indonesia internet service providers' association revealed that nearly 50% of children under 12 in tech-savvy Indonesia use the internet, with some in this age group using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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• Indonesia plans to introduce interim child protection guidelines for social media companies.

• The government is working on legislation to establish a minimum age for social media users.

• The focus of the regulations is on safeguarding children from online risks without completely restricting their access.

Source: REUTERS